The Next Chapter
by Digitalis02
Summary: Sequel to 'Dealing With the Past'. New plots, new worries, more romance!
1. Chapter 1

The Next Chapter

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot.

A/N: Hello! How's everyone doing?! This is the sequel to 'Dealing With the Past', so please read that before this, if you haven't already or you may get a bit lost. New plots, new worries and, as promised, romance! Like DWtP, there are multiple plots, D/L are but one, though they are the main. This story is nowhere near as many chaps as my first story, but I hope you enjoy, but please heed the rating!! Reviews are welcome!

* * *

Chapter One

He loved her; of that she was certain. The way his blue eyes lit up at the sight of her and that big wide grin he shot in her direction convinced her. He didn't smile that way for everyone, just her and it made her feel so warm inside. It was her special smile. She coveted it, just like she coveted everything else about him. Like his sculpted body, trim and slender, belying the strength underneath; she'd seen his muscled and well-toned biceps, knew that he could pick her up with a single arm, easy. But she wasn't shallow. Her love was also smart and funny, tough and charming. Her parents were going to love him.

And they would see, everyone would see how much she loved him. How they were a perfect couple; they were going to get married, have children, and grow old together. How other couples would be jealous of them.

What they shared, just the two of them, was special, sacred. And she wasn't going to let anyone try to take that away from her. When it came to their love, no one else mattered. He was it for her. And she was it for him. Nothing, and no one, would come in their way.

Certainly not that woman who was always hanging around him, beaming him smiles and teasing him, tempting him with her soft touches. She knew how potent those kind of touches were. But their love was strong, she knew, and her love wouldn't be swayed by such a temptress.

When the time came, she was certain, he would send the woman away and come for her. He had to know she was waiting for him. She could imagine the softness in his face as he gazed down at her with an adoring smile before murmuring how much he loved her.

He loved her, he did. But, that woman kept distracting him, prolonging their reunion and while her love would never say anything mean, she was getting just a touch irritated. She just had to remind him that she was waiting.

He would be angry when he found out what she did. But then again, you always hurt the ones you love.

* * *

Early November and winter had announced its arrival prematurely if the frigid gusts of wind and swirling heavy snow was any indication. The weather battered against the buildings, unrelenting as it continued to pour down from the darkened sky. The cold crept up the window of a door, coating it with frost before whooshing in to the warm building as its outside door opened momentarily. Snow immediately began coating the thick gray overcoat of the man who had just stepped out into winter's embrace while the wind viciously swiped at his half-covered weathered face like needle-like pricks.

He walked with a heavy gait, slowly down the snow and ice-covered concrete steps, concentrating not on avoiding the ever-present danger of slipping, but on the newspaper held in one black-gloved hand. The gray gritty recycled paper turned darker as it fell victim to the wet snow; the black newspaper print ran and smudged the articles written on the page. But that was okay. He had already read it; uninterested in last week's headlines, hazel-green eyes with crow's feet locked on a small grimy, nearly unfocused, face in a picture.

Stella Bonasera.

The name resounded in his old mind and the newspaper slipped from his hand to flutter somewhere behind him, caught up in the rapid winds.

* * *

_Her face was frozen, but her body shook with fear. He smacked her again, this time it was hard enough to send her small body flying into the couch. Words that she knew to be bad, words her mother would be mad at, spewed out of his mouth followed by the foul smell of alcohol. The man presented the image of a disheveled drunk, a mean violent drunk, she noted, as her frightened eyes tracked him. _

_He moved closer, large beefy hand raised to strike down at her fragile body once more, leaving new bruises in place of old ones and breaking bones that were just barely beginning to heal. _

_It was a horrifying sight. _

_She could feel his breath brushing her cheeks as he leaned into her face. _

_"You tell anyone about this and I'll kill you." His voice was raspy, hoarse as if he'd wasted it screaming and yelling. And his face was disgusting to look at; she shrunk away from him, but he was so large, overbearing. Her shakes got more violent. "I'll kill you and your parents, ya' hear me? Keep your mouth shut, little bitch." _

_Her eyes slammed shut, feeling the force of his hand as it pushed her back into the wall behind her. She landed with a thud that she surely thought the neighbors could hear. Couldn't they hear the shouting? The crying? Did they not care? Slumping to the floor, pain laced through her body. _

_A hand grabbed the front of her shirt, hauling her up from the dirty carpet. The voice was back in her ear. "Tell anyone and I'll kill you. Kill you dead, little girl." _

_The hand let go of her and she slumped to the floor and it was with both relief and fear when she heard heavy footsteps on the carpet moving away from her. Relief because she thought it was over and fear because she **thought** it was over; nothing was certain._

_Nothing was for certain, her mind chanted, as she opened her eyes to a whimper and the sight of his large beefy hand coming down to smack against the flesh of a cheek. There was already blood speckling the floor; when would he stop? Nothing was for certain and the beating began again._

_Hitting harder. Hitting faster. Blood. More blood. Was she still awake? More. More. More. Oh, yes, she was awake. How could she tell? Easy. She was screaming. Always screaming. _

--

Penny screamed, jolting up in her bed, sweating and shaking. It was the second time that week and the same nightmare. Rocking back and forth, her hands flew to either side of her head, banging on it sharply, trying to rid her mind of the nightmares. She hit her head harder when they wouldn't leave. The pictures kept flashing in her mind, haunting her. Her hits became harder.

"Penny! Penny, sweetheart, stop it!" Sweetheart. That's what he had called **her**. Penelope Williams screamed again and shuffled away from the hands encircling her wrists, trying to take away her hands.

Helen Williams desperately watched with tears in her eyes as her seven-year-old daughter shied away from her in sheer terror. "Penny, honey, it's me, mommy! Penny! Stop it, you're hurting yourself." With the conviction of a mother wanting to save her child, Helen lunged forward and cradled her daughter tightly to her chest, murmuring reassurances and stroking her daughter's blonde hair. "It's okay honey, everything is okay. Daddy and I are here. It was just a nightmare. They can't harm you. Shh, it's alright."

A weight at the bottom of the bed caused Helen to cast a worried look towards her husband. It didn't reassure her at all when all he did was return her glance with one of his own.

What kind of nightmare was this?

Their daughter just cried and continued to rock back and forth.

* * *

A/N: There we go; the first chap. Updates for this story, I have to tell you, are going to be a bit slow since life's a bit hectic right now (exams! 'sob' ) But I finally found time to post this!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot.

A/N: To my knowledge, even though there's been Flack/Angell flirting going on lately, I'm still under the impression that Flack has a girlfriend; Devon, from earlier in the season, so yeah, I used her in this fic. Also, I began writing pre-strike, so there are references to things that happened in the early season 4 eps.

* * *

Chapter Two

"I hate winter." With that statement, Danny hunched deeper into the collar of his coat while pulling Lindsay closer to his side. With her hair cropped short, he was so tempted to bury his cold nose in the warmth of the bare skin of the back of her neck.

Rubbing her hands together, Lindsay's brown eyes flitted from one store window to the other as they walked to her apartment from a small Vietnamese restaurant where they had eaten a late dinner. "It's only November." A tasteful gray hat and scarf set sat on display in one of the stores and Lindsay pondered whether it would be a nice gift for Hawkes for Christmas.

"And we've got mountains of snow." He looked at what his girlfriend was eying and wondered if she was planning on getting it for him. Right now, it would be much appreciated. "Why can't we have nicer weather?" he said, more like whined, plaintively as they walked in the cold night air.

Lindsay let out a fake gasp. "What's this? Something about New York that Danny Messer doesn't like? I thought this place could do no wrong." Her mock wide-eyed look in the reflection of a passing glass window had Danny shoving his cold nose to the back of her neck in retaliation. He was rewarded with a tiny flinch and a small yelp that had him smirking.

"This is New York, Montana.. All things important happen in New York." He ignored her tiny snort. "I'm just saying that I wouldn't be opposed to it having tropical weather all year round, that's all."

"And all the bikini-clad girls that come with that tropical weather too, right?"

"Nah, I like country girls. Feisty bikini-clad country girls." His arm tightened around her waist.

She laughed lightly at his remark and looked at him. "Liar," she murmured, a soft smile playing on her lips.

Danny stilled at the picture she made against the glowing Christmas lights hanging in the store window. With the light bouncing off the natural highlights in her hair and her face smiling up at him, it was a moment that could make someone catch their breath. His eyes gazed tenderly at her and unmindful of anyone else walking past them, Danny dipped his head to brush his lips gently against hers. It was a kiss, not pent up with raging passion, but full of soft, quiet adoration. He adored her. Arms snaking around her waist, feeling the contours of her body through her jacket, Danny pressed her closer. Surrounded by her scent and her tiny moan being the only sound reaching his ears, he could feel her hands gripping the front of his jacket and he ached to get closer. The cold he was feeling earlier vanished in the heady feeling of his lips on hers.

Protesting slightly as Lindsay broke away slightly, one of Danny's hands buried itself in her hair, twisting a strand around a finger, reveling in its silky texture while the other arm retained a firm and muscled grip on her waist, keeping her close in his embrace.

Lindsay laughed again as she spotted the slight fog on Danny's glasses and cupped his face with her hands; his goatee scratching lightly against her palms while her heart skipped at the look in his eyes. Something was different at that moment. His blue eyes were softer when he glanced at her. She leaned forward to graze his lips with her own, pulling back as Danny made to follow her and stopping him by putting one finger against his mouth, outlining his lips gently. "Danny, we're standing in the middle of the sidewalk," she murmured.

"I think there's an alley up ahead somewhere that we could go," Danny muttered, capturing her hand with the one that had been playing with her hair. Without taking his eyes off her, he raised her palm, planting a moist open-mouthed kiss in the center of her palm and then spoiled the romantic moment by wriggling his eyebrows playfully as a follow-up to his remark.

Lindsay's eyes filled with amusement. "An alley, Messer? Now there's an offer I just might be able to refuse." She pulled out of his arms and took his hand, resuming their walk.

Danny squeezed her hand and acted offended. "Not even to be with me?"

"I can think of nicer places to be with you, warmer too." She tossed a smile full of promise over her shoulder, leaving Danny to mutter under his breath, "Country girl."

* * *

Don Flack let out a complacent grin as Devon clung to his side, hugging his entire arm close against her body. He didn't really care about the gossip of high-society she was currently spouting off about, but knew enough about women, and how not to offend them, to nod his head and make tiny murmurs of agreement now and then. It wasn't that he didn't care about Devon; it was more of him recognizing that his world and her world were not necessarily the same. It didn't mean that he cared less about her.

Devon continued talking and beaming smiles as Flack nodded to the doorman holding the door open to Devon's expensive apartment. It was only when the two entered the elevator alone that Flack fully tuned his attention onto his girlfriend when she coyly walked two of her fingers up his suit-clad chest. "I've missed you lately, you know."

He looked down at her. "Did you now?" At her nod, the grin on his face grew.

* * *

"It's not that I don't eventually want a Wii, but I'm just saying that I wouldn't bribe or kill someone for it; I can be patient," Adam Ross mentioned on the phone while his eyes were glued to the screen where he was preparing to face off against the main boss for that level. Ratchet and Clank was pure awesomeness.

The feminine answer back irked him into saying, "I'm talking about being patient when it comes to electronics, Kendall. But I can't be patient about this 'baby fat' issue. It's not my fault that I wasn't born with chiseled features!" A bout of laughter had him adding, "It's not! Come on, you know how damaging that was to my self-esteem. It left me wounded."

Adam risked a glance off his screen and toward his door as he heard a knock. "Oh, wait a moment, Kendall, there's someone at the door." Adam set the phone and his controller down before hopping off his couch. Making his way to the door, he opened it and grinned. "Hey Mrs. Williams."

Helen Williams returned the younger man's smile, clutching a bag of groceries in her hand. "Hi Adam. I hate to ask this of you, but I was wondering if perhaps you could watch Penny tomorrow night?" She adjusted her hold on the groceries. "It's just that Gary and I are going to a function for his boss and my mother's already got plans and Gary's brother is out of town - "

Adam held up a hand to forestall any further ramblings. "Say no more, Mrs. Williams. I can baby-sit Penny, no problem. I'll bring my game system and we can play video games, the ones with no violence of course," he hastily added, remembering Penny's young age.

She smiled at his hasty reassurances. He was such a nice young man. "That's fine. Ah, the function begins at seven, so can you be at our apartment by 6:30? Is that alright?" At his nod, Helen Williams gave a relieved sigh. "Thank you Adam, really. Gary and I appreciate this. And maybe you can cheer Penny up; she's been withdrawn lately. I have no idea why, but we're hoping it's just a stage." A shadow crossed the woman's face before she gave another smile. "Well, I should start dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs, Penny's favorite. Thanks again, Adam." With a wave, the woman headed for the stairs and Adam closed his door.

Scooping up the phone, Adam un-paused his game and began bashing his enemies. They stood no chance. "So, yeah, you have to help me come up with something Kendall." He scowled. "It doesn't help that you're laughing at me either." Adam's tongue poked out as the main boss revealed himself. He was big for a pixel, true, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall and Adam was determined to make it onto the next level. "I don't think going to the gym is going to help. When would I have time? I, you, and practically everyone else sleeps at the lab. Mac's probably invisibly chained to it. Besides, I don't understand half of what those machines do or what body part they're supposed to work." He sighed. The boss was steadily losing health as Adam's own character dodged and ducked, weaving around and striking from the back. Oh yeah, this guy was toast.

"I happen to think baby fat is cute," Kendall remarked before abruptly hanging up.

Adam's character died a second later.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot and O.Cs. Enjoy!

* * *

The sun rose late in the morning sky, reflecting off the glistening snow that, for the most part, lay undisturbed and untouched if not for the deep footprints caused by the dedicated few who visited the widespread cemetery; the need and longing in their hearts to remind their loved ones that they were still unforgotten bringing them out amidst the harsh cold of winter.

As always, Mac cut an imposing black figure as he strode down a familiar path bearing a colorful bouquet of flowers in his gloved hand that he never failed to buy for the first love of his life, his beloved wife. She had always adored the bursts of color and the smile that lit her face never failed to coax a similar smile onto his. He had been a man in love. And though she was now irrevocably gone, he still, faithfully, brought her flowers and he still remembered the loving smile in his mind.

The snow crunched under his steps as he neared the marbled gravestone that he had woefully picked out years ago with pain and anguish in his heart that he still felt a tremor of at that moment. It would always hurt. Even just a little.

The sight of another colorful bouquet of flowers, quite a large and elaborate one, sitting perched in front of his deceased wife's grave gave him pause and Mac's brow furrowed. The multiple flowers sprouted high and tall, cheerfully brushing against the gravestone and Mac grew puzzled. Who had sent these?

Crouching down, he lovingly set his flowers down on his wife's grave, taking a moment to do his ritual of reading the words etched on the stone and in his mind before closing his eyes and telling Claire all the things that had happened in his life since his last visit. He even told her of his cases, though not in great detail, knowing that when she was alive, Claire had always listened. The grizzly side of his life was still a part of him and she had accepted him for him.

Mac finished his one-sided conversation with the words he always repeated during every visit, that they came out automatically, but never lost their meaning. _I love you. I miss you. I'll never forget you. _

It was only then, after he had given attention to his wife, that Mac returned his attention to the strange arrival of flowers. Not feeling the slightest bit remorseful, he searched for a card. It was his wife, after all.

His black-gloved fingers fished out a small white card at the back of the bouquet and the puzzled frown deepened as he read it.

_Your presence continues to leave a hole in my heart. I think of you and your smile still every day of this life as I continue on without you. Missing you terribly, Claire. _

Mac frowned. There was no name.

The grave of Claire Taylor was one tended to with weekly loving care by Mac and the occasional old friend; flowers he'd left were continually refreshed with new ones during his visits.

And in all the time since her tragic death, Mac had never seen such an elaborate bouquet. Who was this person? And what was their connection to his dead wife?

* * *

"Mommy, do you love me?"

Helen Williams glanced down at her seven-year-old daughter as she locked their apartment door in consternation. Her daughter had been acting peculiar lately; the question she had just asked was one example. Taking Penny's hand, Helen gave it a loving squeeze. "Of course I do, honey." She frowned. "Why do you ask?"

Penelope Williams evaded the question with a shrug. "Does daddy love me?" The sound of their footsteps thudded quietly on the thinly carpeted hallway floor as the two made their way to the stairs. The young girl suddenly broke into a run, yanking her startled mother along as they rapidly passed an apartment door.

"Penny!" Helen chastised her and went to say more when just as abruptly, Penny slowed to a walk once they reached the stairwell. "Penny, what - ?"

"Do we have to live here? Why can't we live somewhere closer to the park?" Penny let go of her mother's hand and skipped down the stairs.

Jogging after her, a feat in high heels, Helen's frown deepened. "But I thought you liked it here, honey. I mean, what about your friend Chantal?" She chased her daughter down the steps, catching up to her as Penny paused on the ground floor. Penny had her head down, clutching her pink backpack. "Penny?"

Suddenly subdued, Penny took her mother's hand once more. "I love you, mommy."

Helen Williams was growing more concerned by the moment. Something was wrong with her daughter.

* * *

A stylishly fashioned Stella Bonasera walked her way into one of the labs where Lindsay was standing in front of the centrifuge machine. "Hey Linds. Got anything for me?"

The shorter woman gestured to the printer. "I swabbed the blood on the murder weapon and am waiting on the results." Stella settled in to chat as they waited.

"So how are you doing, kiddo?" Worry flooded Stella's eyes as she discretely looked Lindsay over, checking for dark circles, stress lines, and signs of fatigue that were sadly all too common amongst the group. In classic Lindsay fashion, she had yet to talk to anyone besides the psychiatrist that Mac had ordered Lindsay to see, though Mac had told Stella the key parts and the Greek woman was hard pressed to not rush over to her friend's apartment. Inwardly Stella suppressed a shudder. She couldn't imagine what it was like to spend days in torment, searching and wandering futilely around a mountain range only to literally stumble upon them, already dead for the past day. That would be an image hard-pressed to forget, if ever. Looking over Lindsay now, she looked heart-broken, but not defeated. The thought made her smile.

Lindsay offered a quiet nod in response to Stella's question. "I'm okay." She let out a short laugh. "Well, not okay, but..." a deep breath, "I'm dealing. At least I know Katum's dead." A_long with my parents,_ Lindsay thought sadly.

Recognizing that perhaps this was not the right place to have this discussion, Stella laid a hand on Lindsay's shoulder. "Well, I'm here for you, okay? All of us are." She paused. "Why don't we go out tonight, all of us? I'll force Mac out of the lab, we'll grab the guys and head to Sullivan's. It'll be relaxing for all of us." Stella smiled brightly as Lindsay agreed before the two turned their attention to the printer as it finally spat out its results.

Taking the piece of paper, Lindsay consulted her findings before handing it to Stella. "The majority of the blood on the knife is a match to Shelly Gaynes, but one swab that I did close to the handle revealed a match to your suspect, Melany Rodrigues. It looks like the force of the knife being driven into the victim caused her to slice her own hand."

Stella smiled victoriously. "That's what I want to hear. Thanks Linds. We'll meet up later, okay?"

Lindsay nodded and then turned back to the lab table where she had been stationed at since her shift started that morning. Being confined to the lab wasn't so bad; at least she still had a job, right? Here she could do what she loved to do; find evidence, piece together clues, figure out the hows and whys of a crime, and reconnect with the people that she made friends with. Danny was in and out of the lab that day, but, in an uncharacteristic move, had taken to leaving messages on her phone, not always sweet in nature, but a sign that he was thinking of her. Less expensive than bouquets of flowers and more meaningful than Hallmark cards full of cliché and non-personal sayings. As if on queue, her phone beeped. Taking it out, Lindsay read the single word with more than a bit of confusion.

Sorry?

A lab tech entered the lab with a foul-smelling garbage bag that had most of the others present clearing the room and fast. Lindsay's shoulders slumped as the tech headed in her direction, setting the bag, which was obviously full of garbage, down on the table.

"Detective Messer said to give this to you to sort out. It's the trash from the apartment of the victim in his case and to set aside anything that warranted a second look." The technician rushed through the explanation, probably due to the fact that he was holding his breath. He scurried out in a hurry, but unluckily for him, the scent of garbage had already transferred, just like it would for her as she wrinkled her nose.

Danny's message made a lot more sense now. Oh, he was going to be sorry all right. Lindsay snapped on a pair of clean gloves and with great reluctance, pulled the garbage bag closer.

Definitely sorry.

* * *

A devilish grin split Danny Messer's face as he snapped his phone shut and a snicker escaped his lips.

Flack glanced sideways at his friend, taking his slightly evil countenance. "What's so funny?"

He shoved his phone back into his pocket. "You know that trash bag we found at the vic's residence? I sent it to the lab with instructions for Linds to look through it for evidence." The grin widened while the two walked.

Shaking his head at his friend's obviously suicidal mood, Flack said, "She's going to get you later, you know that right, man?" Flack took in Danny's laugh, compared his friend's countenance to that of the past few weeks, and couldn't help but smile. Just a week ago, everything was breaking down around and within the team. Danny himself, was not looking so good, but now...now there was nothing but smiles and happiness radiating from the man. Flack sent a silent thank-you to Ms. Lindsay Monroe, not just for coming back to the lab, safe, relatively unharmed for the most part, though emotionally a wreck, but for entering Danny's life in general. True, the two had a rocky start and there was hurt there. But Flack always thought that even though no one could hurt you as bad as the one you love, by that same token, no one could bring you the sheer amount of joy and happiness than that same person. It was a two-way street and casting another glance at his friend, it was clear Danny was feeling nothing but contentment at the moment.

Stopping on the curb, the two friends waited for the light to turn red. Danny bounced on the balls of his feet, both to stave off the chilly air, but also the excess energy that sometimes plagued him. With his hands in his pockets, Danny's thought inevitably brought him back to his girlfriend and like a few days ago, an unidentifiable warm feeling surged through his body. He wondered briefly what he and Lindsay would do for their next date because while staying in at her place had benefits, Danny wanted to do something special, take her out to see what his city had to offer his country girl. _Besides himself anyway,_ Danny thought with a smug grin making its way onto his lips.

The man in a business suit beside him raised his arm to check his watch and Danny shuffled in Flack's direction to avoid being hit with the man's elbow only to feel a rough, almost violent shove on his shoulder from behind.

Danny's characteristic bounce became his enemy as the force of the shove caught him off-balance and to his unexpected horror, tumbled him off the concrete curb and threatening to dive him headfirst into oncoming traffic. He could feel his feet slipping off the curb, the feel of his shoes scrapping against concrete. His hands were trapped in his pockets; seemingly long minutes passing as he tried to yank them to grab onto something, someone, or brace his fall onto the cold unforgiving ground. The headlights of the cars speeding toward him reflected off his glasses and his heart stopped. The sound of a blaring car horn had never sounded so loud.

"Danny!" Flack shouted, grabbing his friend's arm and pulling him back sharply onto the curb. His face was full of panicked concern, brows furrowed with wide eyes, and his grip on Danny was fierce. "You all right, man?"

Heart pounding with the adrenaline and gasping slightly, an angry scowl was on Danny's face. "What the hell was that?" Spinning around, Danny and Flack looked for the person. "Did you see who did it?" The blood in his veins was still pumping.

Flack shook his head. "No." His scowl almost matched Danny's. "Crazy people; almost killed you rushing around like that. You good?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He wasn't, but the pounding of his heart wouldn't be solved by anything but time. Drawing in a shaky breath, Danny took a moment to collect himself after such a sudden scare. He loved his city, it was in his blood, but seriously...some people. He shook his head. The traffic light turned red and rolling his shoulders under his bulky jacket, Danny said, "Let's just get to the vic's work place, a'right?"

Still looking pensive at Danny's almost certain near-death experience, Flack simply nodded and the two let themselves be swept into the busy crowd making their way across the street.

* * *

"Penny, honey, could you lay out the plates for me?" Helen Williams finished scooping out the mashed potatoes from a pot to a serving bowl. Mash potatoes and meatloaf. Another one of Penny's favorites and another fervent wish that her daughter would soon open up about what was bothering her. It had been two days since her last nightmare and a week since Helen had noticed her daughter's strange behavior. Nightmares, random out-of-the-blue questions, being withdrawn and quiet, and other bouts of strange behavior like Penny disobeying and reluctance to leave her parents. Helen, for the first time, had to cajole her daughter to join her classmates on the school bus this morning and again had to reprimand her for running through the hall coming home from school. Penny had remained silent when questioned, giving no answer and leaving her parents more baffled than before.

"So, how was school, honey?" A mumbled 'fine' was her response. "You know, Penny, I'm starting to worry about you. You're not acting like yourself and your father and I are worried. If there's anything bothering you, you can tell us, all right? Anything because we love you." Helen sighed, putting the finishing touches on supper. "By the way, how's Chantal? I forgot to ask you when you came back from visiting her. Isn't it nice to have a friend in the building?"

A crash on the floor prompted Helen to spin around to see her young daughter shaking slightly and staring at the plate she had dropped. "Oh honey, you should be more careful." She walked over. "Are you alright?" Penny looked frightened and Helen frowned. "Penny, it's just a plate. At least you didn't harm yourself."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot and O.Cs.

A/N: I just want to say thanks to all those who reviewed; it helps to know that people are reading and enjoying this. Thanks!

* * *

Chapter Four

It was nearing seven-thirty at night and the end of his shift that had Danny cleaning up and packing away evidence, only a little closer to finding his victim's murderer. Truth be told, he was also packing up to get ready for his date with Lindsay. Ever since she had returned from Montana and the two had settled everything between them, Danny was making more of an effort than ever to spend time with Lindsay; even if most of that time consisted of the two hanging out in her apartment, eating take-out or the occasional home-cooking. Between the two, their recipe repertoire was average. They didn't spend all their time together; to do so would be stifling, but there wasn't a day gone by that they didn't at least communicate with one another, whether it was working together or a text message on days off.

He hung up his lab coat and headed to his and Lindsay's office after making a detour to grab his things from his locker. Through the glass, he spied her sitting at her desk with the ends of her hair still slightly wet from her earlier shower. Danny chuckled to himself as he recalled dropping in on her after he had returned to the lab.

--

"Whew! It smells worse than it did when I bagged it," Danny exclaimed, leaning against the door-frame with a folder tucked under his arm and grinning at his partner, surrounded by pieces of carefully collected garbage. He straightened, still grinning, as brown eyes glared at him and moved closer.

"I hate you."

Danny laughed, undeterred. "Somebody had to do it, Montana." To soften any hard feelings, he reached up and tucked her hair behind an ear. "Technically, if you look at it, you are still the rookie around here," he added, unable to quell the urge to tease her more. His fingers trailed down her neck, barely caressing her skin before dropping his hand as someone walked by the lab. Danny momentarily reveled in the light pink flush creeping across her cheeks.

"This is one of my favorite shirts and it reeks of garbage. **I** reek of garbage. I hate you." Lindsay kept her eyes on the evidence in front of her, even though Danny's close presence affected her.

"I like you in that shirt too." Danny's tone was suggestive, but quickly went back to normal. "I'll make it up to you tonight." He continued as Lindsay looked at him in askance, "We're going out tonight. Right after shift."

"Where are we going?"

"That, Ms. Monroe, is a surprise. But you'll like it, I promise." He sent a grin her way that he knew would make her smile and was rewarded by the curling of her lips. Lips; soft, full lips that Danny fixated on, remembering how they felt on his own and counting down the minutes when he could feel them again. Briefly Danny wondered at his chances of getting Montana to agree to a quick (not really quick, but he'd let her think that) kiss or two in the secluded locker room right at that moment, before mentally shaking his head. She'd never agree. Plus, there was the whole garbage issue. He was wearing one of his favorite shirts too.

Clearing his throat to refocus his thoughts on his case, in the next second he was beating back a small flush working its way up his neck at the sight of Lindsay smiling amusedly at him, knowing exactly where his thoughts were seconds ago. "So, ah, whatcha' got for me, Montana? Besides a whole lotta' garbage which, by the way, you've got some stain on your coat." He jerked his chin at her and crossed his arms over his chest.

Danny smothered a laugh, but couldn't stifle the widened grin and enjoyment sparkling in his eyes as he watched his girlfriend shoot a downwards look at her now not-so-pristine white lab coat to see what looked like a small candy stain decorating it. She must've brushed up against a wrapper. Danny's shoulders shook silently as Lindsay's brown eyes glared daggers at him.

"I hate you."

--

Bringing himself back to the present, Danny opened their office door and strode over to Lindsay's desk, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You almost ready to go?"

Her fingers danced over the keyboard as Lindsay finished up writing a report before nodding. "Yep. Just about." Feeling his fingers playing with the ends of her hair and occasionally brushing against the skin of her neck, a rush of warmth flowed through her for the thousandth time. "You're still not going to tell me where we're going?"

"All you need to do is dress warmly. I've got the rest."

"Aha! So, we're going to be outside." She sent him a wide teasing smile.

"Brilliant, Detective Monroe," Danny mocked her. He grabbed her jacket and handed it to her as she stood, curiously eying the brown leather tote-bag near his feet.

Lindsay shut off her computer and put on her coat. "Okay, I'm ready to go."

Pulling on the ends of her jacket, Danny tugged her closer and sneaked in a light kiss.

"Danny - "

"Our shift just ended, Montana. We're fine."

"Oh well, in that case..." she grinned devilishly before Danny felt one small hand snake down his back and into one of his back jean pockets. He made a surprised sound as Lindsay mischievously cupped his butt.

He smiled widely at her, the corners of his blue eyes crinkling. "Montana..." he murmured. "The walls are made glass, remember?"

Lindsay squeezed, brown eyes sparkling with mischief at the redness creeping up her boyfriend's neck. "It's as you said Messer, our shift is over. As long as it doesn't involve public nudity, I can do whatever I want with you."

"And to me."

"And to you."

"Excellent."

* * *

Stella set the small evidence envelope into her case before straightening up to take more pictures of the crime scene. Her case that had seemed quite simple this morning had dragged on longer than she thought. Her suspect was dead and her boyfriend was on the run. Her plans to meet up with everyone at Sullivan's was postponed and outside the sky grew darker. Stella hoped this case wouldn't drag on; she was tired. All she wanted was a chance to unwind and relax.

Finishing her inspection, Stella grabbed her case and headed for the door, nodding to the police officer waiting to seal off the apartment and making her way downstairs.

Giving a quick smile to the officer standing guard at the front entrance to the building, Stella briskly made her way to her SUV.

All unknowing of the eyes that had followed her entrance into the apartment and now watched keenly, unblinking, as she shut the door to her car.

* * *

The door opening caught Penny's attention and she turned her head to see her father coming in with a box in his arms.

"Now are you sure this is the right box, Helen? I don't want to go down to the storage room again," Greg asked his wife.

Helen rose, glancing at the box. "Hmm, I'm not sure..." she trailed off before laughing. "I'm kidding, Greg. That's the one. Can you just put it over there? Gently."

Grunting, Greg ambled over to the wall where their small Christmas tree stood. "I don't understand why you have to always break out all of the Christmas figurines out. It's too much trouble." Greg bit back a curse, mindful that his daughter was in the room, when he suddenly tripped as he bent over, causing the box to thud heavily against the wall.

Penny flinched.

"Greg!" Helen admonished, walking over to her husband. She checked the box first and then her husband.

"I told you this was too much trouble," he grumbled, straightening. He rubbed his sore lower back for a moment before turning Penny. "Hey honey, I think it's time for bed. You have school tomorrow. Give daddy a hug, huh?" Greg moved toward his daughter with a smile on his face and arms outstretched.

Penny shied away from her father, causing him to frown. "Penny? What's wrong?"

Shaking her head, Penny bit her lip and then ran to her room, closing the door.

Four hours later, the Williams awoke with a familiar feeling of panic before hurriedly rushing out of their room and into their daughter's where they attempted to soothe her out of yet another nightmare.

* * *

"This was a good idea," Lindsay murmured, cradling a plastic cup half-full of steaming hot chocolate. Her brown eyes were warm as she, Danny, and over a dozen other people, couples mostly, sat on thick blankets on the snow in Central Park, listening to the outdoor musicians playing slow, soulful music later that evening. Though it was only November, Christmas lights adorned the small stage where the musicians sat and the freshly planted evergreen trees enhanced the whole holiday theme. Breathing in the crisp cold air and the beauty of the park made people all to easily forget about upcoming winter storms, freezing temperatures, shoveling heavy snow, and the annual flu bug. For now, they were content to lose themselves in the moment.

Danny pulled Lindsay closer under another blanket that he had brought to wrap themselves in and replied, "Of course. Have I ever come up with a bad idea?"

"Well, Flack told me about that time when you were still a rookie and - "

He dug his fingers into her side, tickling her. He reached for his own plastic cup of hot chocolate from the thermos that he had brought. With hot drinks, Lindsay snuggled up in front of him with a blanket over them, and his back leaning against a tree, Danny didn't mind the cold that was currently turning his nose a light red. Seeing the happy smile on Lindsay's face and hearing her content sigh was enough to make him happy.

"I think I can almost forgive you for the garbage incident this afternoon."

He glanced at her. "Almost?" Danny looked confused and bemoaned the loss of warmth when Lindsay suddenly took off the blanket, set her cup aside, and stood. He looked up, eyebrows raised in question. "Montana?" The confusion heightened when she held out a hand.

"Dance with me." A sweet smile lit her face; a perfect compliment to the warmth in her brown eyes.

"Ya' gotta be kiddin' me," Danny's accent thickened as he looked around embarrassedly. Peering up at Lindsay's hopeful face, he sighed. "Linds..."

Lindsay merely held out a hand and cajoled her tough New York boyfriend. "Come on, dance with me. There's about a dozen other people dancing," she looked about, "and look, we can dance under this tree, in the shade, where no one can see us." She fixed a pout on her face.

"Except anyone who glances over in this direction," he grumbled but rose to his feet with a grudging smile at the cute sight of his girlfriend bundled up in a winter coat complete with wool scarf and gloves. "The things I do for you..."

"Don't worry, Danny. Your manly image will remain intact," she teased, winding her arms around his neck.

Though he would do almost anything for Lindsay, Danny buried his face in her hair to cover a slight flush on his cheeks. Danny had never done anything like this for anyone, including his mother and certainly not for any of his past girlfriends. He actually had to search a little in order to find this music festival, but it was worth it to see the happy surprise lighting up Lindsay's face. So while he did feel a little embarrassed at dancing in public in Central Park, the feeling of Lindsay's soft body in his arms, the scent of her hair wafting up as they swayed far outweighed it. A couple of weeks ago, Danny thought that everything was ruined between the two, but now, he was just thankful that his life wasn't a total mess. The past months had been tough and barring any more troubles hitting the team, things were looking up.

The musicians played on; the music never wavering in its melodic notes enticing the crowd to get lost in it and themselves. Despite the cold, the couples dancing continued to sway gently as the day dwindled down into night and the lamps automatically lit up, bathing the snow-covered park.

"See? This isn't so bad." Lindsay looked up into his face, her fingers combing through his hair.

Danny said nothing, only smiled and leaned down to capture her lips with his. He made a sound of contentment as the tip of his tongue traced her lips before sliding into her warm mouth. She tasted like hot chocolate and Danny pulled her closer, slightly mourning the fact that they were in public and he couldn't feel her body well underneath their winter coats.

It was perfect. This moment was perfect. Holding each other, feeling their lips connect and hearing the steady pounding of his heart, Danny was unaware that the two had stopped dancing.

He rested his forehead against hers, gently stroking her jaw with his thumb. Her skin was silky soft and his thumb just grazed upon it as Danny looked down at her; so caught up in his emotions Danny couldn't even smile.

How was this possible? Never in his life had he thought that he himself would stumble upon so perfect a moment as this. This romance stuff...it wasn't for shmucks like him. Growing up in rough times, fighting the battles he did to make his way to where he was now, faces of numerous women flying by, his troubled past that wouldn't stay put, and everything else, all the other hardships, thrown his way...all of it melted away when he looked at Lindsay. Logically, Danny knew that it was the way of life. You were born, you grow up, you work, you get married, have kids, and then eventually pass away, having lived the life you shaped for yourself. Danny had always thought that his life was already fulfilled; he had all he was going to get. And he thought he was fine with that. What he had was pretty good. But in that moment, in the cold, in the coming darkness, surrounded by hundreds of people, Danny knew that the woman in his arms was going to transform what he had now to something even more wonderful than he ever imagined.

He had found her. To Danny, the feeling was bordering on incredulity. He'd watched others around him finding that special someone, some friends, some complete strangers, but he'd never counted on finding the one meant for him. Just him. And counting on being that someone for her in return. It was amazing, astonishing, disbelieving. He'd found her. What were the chances of that? Out of how many people in the world, living in other countries, states, cities, neighborhoods...Danny had found that special someone that he supposed everyone, man or woman, secretly craved and hoped they'd find. A single individual to complete them.

And with his shitty luck, he'd accepted that he would never find her. But a pretty brunette had walked up to that tiger's cage from Bozeman, Montana of all places and there she was. Danny tightened his hold even more, knowing probably that he was crushing her, but unable to let go of the person who completed him. With a revelation so startling as this that caused his heart to swell, who would want to let go? For as long as she'd have him, Danny was never going to let go of Lindsay Monroe.

* * *

It had been a wonderful night. Lindsay smiled softly to herself as she changed out of her work attire, opting for something more comfortable while Danny busied himself in the kitchen, cleaning out the thermos he'd brought along to their little musical picnic.

It had been a wonderful night. He'd really surprised her with the music show and the dance too. Lindsay knew it really wasn't his thing, so the fact that Danny had braved the embarrassment to dance with her in public had made the evening even more special. Lindsay doubted the smile on her face would be leaving anytime soon.

The sound of the kitchen cupboards opening and closing had Lindsay shaking her head and smiling. Pulling one of her favorite t-shirts over her head, she walked into the kitchen.

"Danny, what are you looking for?" she asked, pulling her hair out from her shirt. Her footsteps came to an abrupt halt when she saw, not Danny, but a familiar head of curly brown hair.

"M-mom?" Lindsay was confused. What was her mom doing here? "Mom, what - "

Anna Monroe stopped her peaceful humming and turned around to answer her daughter's question when Lindsay screamed.

Blood dripped from a wide gaping hole in her mother's stomach. Brown eyes, so like hers, were blank and empty. Lindsay backed away, shaking her head. This was not happening. _This was not happening_. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the person in front of her away.

Something bumped into her back and Lindsay spun around, hair flying.

"What's the matter, baby girl?"

Dale Monroe gave a cold lifeless smile down at his daughter. Blood ran down his neck from the vicious-looking gash on his head, soaking the collar of his favorite plaid shirt. She had given him that shirt for Christmas when she was younger. Lindsay screamed again, eyes horrifically wide.

Stumbling back, Lindsay glanced in between her parents. Her **dead** parents. "No. No, no, no, no, no...God, no...go away...please, just go away..." She dropped to her knees, bowed her head, and tightly shut her eyes.

"Now look what you've done, baby girl, you've gone and killed us."

Anna Monroe tsk-ed behind Lindsay. "Always getting people killed, Lindsay. Really now. First your friends and now us. When will it stop? How about Danny? Will he die next? I'm so disappointed in you, honey."

Lindsay clapped her hands over her ears. She didn't want to hear anymore. Rocking back and forth on her knees, tears started cascading down her cheeks, dripping onto the tile floor. "Stop. Stop. Go away. Please. Just go away. Please, oh God, please." She began to choke on her words. "I didn't mean it. Oh God, momma, daddy, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please."

--

Lindsay bolted upright in her bed, gasping for breath and choking on the tears she had cried in her sleep. Through blurry eyes, her digital clock read 2:15. The sky outside was still dark and gloomy. She was alone. Danny had dropped her off at her apartment at midnight.

Chest heaving, struggling for air and shivering, Lindsay buried her face in her hands and sobbed.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot and O.Cs.

A/N: I really have no excuse for not posting earlier except to say that I got swept away into another fandom and have been obsessively reading and watching another show that I stumbled upon. I've been binging. Still, my apologies to everyone who have been waiting for the next chapter. Forgive me?

* * *

Chapter Five

Flack stood beside Danny, patiently waiting in front of the counter for their orders to come up. The two painted a very nice picture if the lingering appreciative glances from the female customers in the coffee shop were anything to go by. Danny was oblivious as he talked to Lindsay on the phone about some lab results pertaining to his case while Flack flashed his lovable smile around, but did nothing else.

"So we got the super's blood on the blue towel? Mixed with the vic's?" Danny paused, listening before answering, "Yeah, Flack and I'll check him out. I'll see you back at the lab." Lindsay replied, causing him to smile. "I got it, Montana. I won't let Flack eat your danish." He laughed. "I'll see you soon."

Flack shot him an affronted look, catching the last of the conversation. "I would never, Messer. I've seen that knife of hers." The two shared a laugh.

Danny shifted on his feet, glancing around as his attention wandered. A blonde smiled at him before his eyes caught something outside and gave a thoughtful noise.

Attracted, Flack looked over his friend's shoulder in the same direction. "Flowers, Messer? For me, you really shouldn't." Danny didn't even bother with a response. "You're lovesick, man," Flack cracked, but ultimately happy that his two friends were happy together.

"Shut up." Danny pushed up the bridge of his glasses. "You think she'd like some?" He put his scarf that he had been holding onto the counter.

"Women love flowers." Flack shrugged. "Go for it. If anyone, Lindsay deserves it, after everything, you know."

Nodding for a moment, Danny glanced at Flack. "I'll be right back." He ignored Flack's head shaking in amusement. Danny Messer never did stuff like this and he certainly never bought flowers on impulse for a girlfriend. Whipped.

Shuffling over a few feet to make room for other customers waiting, Flack flashed his smile again ten minutes later as a very attractive redhead deposited a carton tray with three large coffee cups and a small paper bag on the counter before him at that moment. "Thanks." The woman blushed lightly and beamed a smile back.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" she asked as he took his order. A customer came up beside him and reached for a couple of napkins from a dispenser before disappearing.

"Nah, I'm fine, but thanks."

The woman nodded. "Come back anytime. I'm on the early afternoon shift."

"I'll keep that in mind." Flack took the tray and bag just as Danny reappeared beside him holding a paper package. "You good?"

Danny nodded. He moved to take the carton of drinks with his right hand while trying to snag his scarf on the counter. "Trying to brush up those poor flirting skills of yours?" he asked lowly, indicating the redhead who was now busy helping another customer.

Flack gave him a withering look and opened his mouth to retort when Danny suddenly gave a startled yell.

"Ow!" Danny dropped the drinks, splashing the hot liquid all over the floor as he shook his left hand free of his scarf. A look of pain flashed across his face.

"Danny?" Flack gave him a concerned look before looking at the floor and giving a startled shout himself.

Customers around them gave them looks varying from disgust to curiosity. A waitress hurried up to them and started to ask them what the problem was when she spotted a reddish-brown animal crawling on Danny's black scarf and screamed.

"A scorpion!" She pointed, backing away.

Flack rolled his eyes. Yes, they were well aware of what it was, thank you very much. Reacting quickly, he grabbed one of the coffee cups overturned on the floor and scooping up the crawling scorpion inside, capping off the cup with a snap-on lid. "Danny? You alright man?"

Danny, for his part, was silently cursing up a storm, holding his left hand by the wrist and trying to shake the burning pain off. "Shit! That fucking hurts," he said, staring at his hand where a small puncture with little swelling appeared on the back of his hand.

Flack took a look and then turned to the employees. "We're sorry for creating such a mess."

An older-looking woman waved his apology away. "No need." She was more concerned about the coffee shop's reputation. Nobody wanted to drink in a place with scorpions.

Cautiously picking up Danny's scarf and shaking it roughly for any more surprises, Flack bundled it up, grabbed the flower package, and herded Danny out the door who was now cursing quietly. "Get in the car. I'll call the hospital." He shoved the coffee cup with the trapped scorpion into his car's cup holder almost absently. "Watch that thing."

Danny scowled, cradling his hand to his chest. "Why not just shoot it?"

Flack didn't answer, but managed to get a hold of the hospital and began describing Danny's situation. "So, it's not life-threatening?" He paused, listening before looking at Danny. "You're not allergic to scorpions, are you?"

"How the hell should I know? I've never been bitten by one before." He looked exasperated.

"You feel any numbness? Blurred vision? Difficulty swallowing?" Listening to the nurse, Flack fired off questions. "Difficulty breathing? Salivation? Seizures?"

Danny just sat in the passenger seat, staring incredulously at his semi-panicking friend. Seizures? Honestly.

Flack continued his conversation. "Ten minutes on and then ten minutes off? And it should go away on its own? Should I start to worry if it doesn't?" Turning on the ignition, Flack started up the car, heading straight to the crime lab. "Are you sure? I mean, really sure?" Danny rolled his eyes. "Okay...if you're absolutely sure...thank you miss." Flack hung up. "They say that scorpion bites aren't really fatal and wash it with soap and water, then apply ice for ten minutes. Take 1-2 Tylenol every 4 hours for the pain." He paused. "I still think Hawkes should check you out." Without waiting for an answer from a still-silent Danny, Flack's phone was already out.

Danny leaned back in the chair, glaring at the coffee cup. He sighed as Flack jabbered away. And he had been having such a good week.

* * *

"Danny!" While not flying per se, Lindsay maintained a dignified rush out of a nearby lab that she refused to admit that she had been lurking in. Danny's lips lifted into a soft smile at the worried look on his girlfriend's face. "I heard. Are you sure you're okay?" Without caring that Mac and Hawkes were currently walking towards them, she gently grabbed his hand and started inspecting it.

"Montana," he murmured. "I'm fine, really. It just hurts a lot."

"Is that it?" The question came from Mac while Hawkes joined Lindsay in checking his friend's minor injury out, ushering him to the break room.

"We called the hospital and they told us how to treat it. They said that it should go away on its own eventually. I'll be good to go in maybe an hour or so." Hawkes gave an affirmative nod and Mac visibly relaxed.

Hawkes led Danny over to the sink in the break room and began helping his friend. He sent Lindsay to fetch some Tylenol.

"Still, try not to use that hand too much. I'm sure Lindsay can help you with running tests," he said lightly before getting back to the topic at hand. "I'm also sure we can all also agree that this doesn't seem to be an accident."

Hawkes nodded before grabbing a clean dish towel from a drawer and ice from the fridge. "A scorpion, not indigenous to this part of the states, hidden in your scarf?"

Sighing, Danny took the Tylenol from Lindsay and popped two, absently leaning slightly against her, seeking comfort as he answered, "Flack and I discussed this on the way over. I left my scarf directly beside him on the coffee counter while I went across the street for ten minutes."

"And I didn't see anything." There was a hint of anger in Flack's eyes at his inattentiveness. "I wasn't really looking. The only thing I remember is seeing someone coming up beside me to grab some napkins. I was talking to an employee at the time and she might remember more. I'm heading back there now; just wanted to drop Danno off." Lindsay gave him an appreciative smile and watched Hawkes apply the cool compress.

"You do that. Danny, is there anyone you've gotten on the bad side of lately?" Mac asked.

"No."

"Has anything else happened to you?"

Danny exchanged a look with Flack before grimacing. He was so going to get it from Lindsay. "A couple of days ago, I almost got pushed off a street curb into oncoming traffic. Flack caught me before anything happened. The sidewalk was crowded and we just brushed it off as some aggressive walker or someone in a hurry. There's no way though, to know if the two events are connected." He avoided looking at the woman beside him, but felt her tense.

The group thought it over silently before Mac exhaled. "There's not much we can do, but Flack, I want you back at that coffee shop ASAP. Danny, stick around and try to relax. Don't think I won't send you home."

"Got it, boss." Hawkes, after giving further instructions, and Mac walked off to continue on their individual cases while Flack lingered. "You sure you're alright?" He continued after Danny's eye-roll. "Take care of him Linds."

Waving Flack off, Danny presented the paper package he'd been holding to Lindsay. "Here."

She took it, obviously knowing what it was, but a surprised smile lit up her face. Lindsay started unwrapping it and Danny consciously rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not much, but...I thought you might like them. There was a small flower shop across from the coffee shop; that's where I went."

She shook her head. "Anything from you is more than enough." Lindsay took out seven pristine white snowdrops. The bell-shaped flower with its three milk-white petals hanging down had no deep meaning that Danny nor the shop owner knew of, but he had gotten them for their simplicity and beauty. He hadn't even looked at the roses or intricate bouquets because in his mind, they were overdone and their meaning exhausted. "Danny," Lindsay breathed. "I love them. They're gorgeous." Her eyes shone at his gesture, so unlike Danny and it was with the utmost regret that she refrained from kissing him there and then. She glanced around, noticing that more than a few lab techs had their eyes on them and she settled for a beaming smile, hoping her eyes showed everything her heart was feeling. "Thank you."

Danny too, had noticed the attention and uncaring, he lifted his uninjured hand and cupped her cheek, caressing her skin for a moment. "Why don't we go to our office? We can wait there for Flack."

The two walked together down the hallway, unaware that Mac and Hawkes watched with smiles on their faces. Lindsay gently clutched the flowers in her arms, marveling at the many sides of Danny Messer.

* * *

Stella's green eyes carefully surveyed the crowd around her crime scene, checking for anyone suspicious. There was a feeling creeping up her spine and it was a feeling she'd felt before when she had found out that Reed Garrett, Mac's wife's son had been following her. Only this this time, it was now someone else watching her. It worried her, true, and Stella pondered telling Mac again, although this was the first time she'd felt it. Her life held a string of bad luck in the past few years. Frankie, her HIV scare, her blood in a cold case...and now, someone was watching her. Great.

No one stood out in the crowd and it was with a sigh that Stella focused her mind back on the deceased body in front of her.

She'd tell Mac later if the feeling persisted through the week.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot and O.Cs.

A/N: Another chapter up because I promised **lily moonlight**, who kept sending me hints, that I'd post one today. So, I hope you enjoy! /grin/

* * *

Chapter Six

The crowd had thinned out now that the body had been taken away by the coroner and the only action to be seen was Stella taking pictures and asking questions of witnesses.

And Stella's watcher had disappeared causing her to release a huge sigh of relief. Maybe it was just an overly interested spectator...or the murderer checking to see what she had picked up. That second thought made her pause.

Stella went over the evidence she'd collected and made one last inspection of the area before signaling the surrounding police to release the scene; it was, after all, a public and busy sidewalk. She packed up her kit and headed to her SUV, carefully stowing her camera away and kit.

"Detective?" a young officer, a rookie by the looks of it, approached her somewhat hesitantly.

"Yes?" Stella's curiosity was peaked.

"Officer Sanchez, ma'am. I don't know if this is related to the crime, ma'am, but while you were processing, I was approached by an older-looking gentleman who began asking me questions about you. It seemed he wanted to confirm your name, ma'am. I became suspicious when he started asking other questions that pertained to your personal life and I tried to detain him, ma'am, but I lost him in the crowd. I apologize." The young officer appeared completely apologetic.

Stella's breath froze and she blinked at the other woman for a long moment before regaining her senses. "Can you give me a description of this man?"

"Yes, ma'am. He looked about sixty years of age, 5'8, lean with hazel green eyes. Brown hair with white on the edges, sort of a weathered face and he had an accent; European, maybe? He was dressed in a heavy gray overcoat with brown pants." The officer looked even more apologetic than before.

The description bore no familiarity and Stella grew even more worried. She was definitely going to talk to Mac about this, but for now, she gave a reassuring smile to the young officer. "Thank you. You did the best you could. I'll take it from here."

"Yes, Ma'am."

What was life throwing at her now?

* * *

In the end, Lindsay escorted Danny home shortly after on Mac's orders. The description Flack obtained was of a plain-looking woman with frizzy brown hair. It was no one Danny knew. Danny himself was fine; the Tylenol doing its job, but Mac wanted him to take it easy on his hand. His case would be dealt with by Lindsay and Flack. He was disgruntled about that, to say the least.

"I don't understand why you're grumbling. You heard Mac; take it easy for the rest of the day." Lindsay stood behind Danny, biting her lip and glancing up and down the hall. Whether it was a conscious action or not, she and Danny had made it a point to avoid talking about Rikka Sandoval. All she knew was that the woman lived on the same floor. She had no idea what the situation was between them and the insecure part of her didn't want to know. Lindsay just wanted to get out of the hall.

Danny unlocked his door and stepped inside. "I could've interrogated the super. I don't need my hands for that." He slowly took off his jacket

Lindsay toed off her shoes, but kept her coat, following Danny to the stools sitting in front of his kitchen counter. "I'll call you when I get home later tonight, okay?" She smiled as he sulked, knowing how restless he could be. Being sent home in the middle of the day when he could be out chasing suspects was torture.

Danny grabbed her hand, bringing it up to graze the palm of her hand with a kiss. "You know, you could stay with me...keep me company?" His blue eyes were innocently wide.

"And have Mac fire me?" Her eyes laughed at him.

He sighed. "Fine. Abandon me. Your boyfriend." He gave her mock-hurt look that changed into one of resignation. "Give me a kiss first. It'll make me better."

"Unfortunately Danny, I don't think I possess the miraculous power to heal people."

It was a long greedy kiss. Danny, reluctant to part from her, nipped and nibbled before he began exploring her mouth. Teasing her with languid strokes of his tongue and relishing in her whispering moans; Danny drew her in, trying to imprint the feel of Lindsay in his mind in order to sustain him until the next time they met. "I think maybe you do. I feel better than I was a few seconds ago."

"Danny, I have to go," Lindsay breathed hard, protesting even as she let Danny pull her closer in between his legs. She shivered, feeling his hand delve underneath her jacket and shirt to caress the small of her back. Automatically her hands rose to run through his soft spiky hair as Danny buried his face in her chest, mumbling contentedly, nuzzling the curves hidden by her sweater and inhaling her sweet scent.

Danny's thumbs stroked her sides and then lifted up her sweater an inch, so he could lay tiny kisses on her stomach.

"Danny..."

He grinned at the dazed look in her eyes, knowing he had her. The grin fell from his face a moment later as he caught sight of his open bedroom door. Unbidden, a memory of his mistake rose and he abruptly swallowed with unease. It suddenly hit him how stupid he was for bringing her here. Up until now, he had made a point to go over to Lindsay's apartment and not his; he didn't want to remind her of his mistake that nearly cost him their relationship. God, he wondered what she was thinking. Had the thought even entered her mind? He looked closely at her. The warmth shining in her brown eyes and the wide smile seemed genuine, but how could he sure? He was such an idiot. She must be itching to get out of here.

"You should get some rest. Come on, I'll help you."

"No!" he blurted before calming. "No, that's alright. I'm not tired; I think I'm just going to watch some T.V." Danny did not want to have Lindsay anywhere near his bedroom.

Lindsay gave him a strange look, confused. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He got up from the stool and walked to his couch, drawing her attention away from the direction of the bedroom.

"Well, okay. Is there anything you want before I leave?" Danny sat on his couch and pointedly looked at her, causing her to roll her eyes. "I meant, something to eat or - " Danny's pointed look gained a lusty smirk and she grew warm. "You know that is not what I meant." Smiling in amusement, Lindsay gave him one last kiss before heading for the door. "I'll call you when I get home tonight. Take it easy." She put her shoes back on, gave one last wave to a forlorn-looking Danny, and shut the door.

Lindsay stilled once out in the silent hallway and for a long minute, her eyes lingered on the other apartment doors. Which one was hers? And did she and Danny still talk? What did they talk about? Did she come over to Danny's apartment often? Or he to hers?

Scowling, Lindsay shook her head free of her insecure thoughts. It was no business of hers what their relationship was like. Danny had made it clear that he wanted to be with her, Lindsay. And to her, that was more than enough.

Still, that thought didn't stop her from hurrying out of the hallway and out of the building.

* * *

Rubbing at his tired eyes, Mac leaned back in his chair and stifled a yawn. It was another late night and his desk looked like a disaster, much like the desks of his team. Nearing Christmas, instead of being a season of kindness and giving, crime seemed to be on the rise and Mac had yet to go home. Dozens of folders, inconspicuous in their beige blandness demanded his attention and his back was aching in protest.

It was snowing again, he could see through the window outside his office, and a small pang ran through his heart. Since Claire died, the holidays were never high on his joyful list. Sure, he visited Reed and Stella always had some festive thing up her sleeve that she usually dragged him forcibly to, but for the most part, Mac always made sure he was signed on for duty that day. Stella, bless her heart, was almost always at his side. Last year, Mac noted, was probably one of the only times he was off. Last year, he had spent the day with Peyton.

Shaking his head free of wayward thoughts, he picked up another folder and flipped it open. He was determined to have this mess cleaned up by morning; he couldn't afford to be distracted.

Fate, it seemed, had other plans for him as his office phone rang and Mac couldn't suppress a heavy sigh.

"Taylor." His voice was brisk, but tired.

"Mac? It's me, Peyton."

His eyebrows rose slightly. For someone who ended their relationship with a letter and for all intents and purposes had silenced their connection, the fact that Peyton started calling him again was surprising. "Peyton? How are you?" His eyes flitted to the clock on his computer. It was still very early morning in England. What was she doing calling at this hour?

"Rather disturbed at the moment, actually," Peyton responded, her voice slightly shaky. Mac straightened in his chair, concerned, and waited for her to continue. "I..." she took a deep breath, "I just had the strangest phone call."

Mac frowned sharply.

"When I picked it up and said hello, no one answered. But...I distinctly heard heavy breathing. I think it was a man. When I asked who they were, the breathing...suddenly stopped before the phone was slammed down rather violently. My ear still hurts." The tremble in Peyton's voice became more pronounced as she talked.

"Peyton - "

"I was going to call the police, but I wasn't quite sure what they could do. It could just be a prank phone call, for all I know, but...it...really unnerved me, Mac, and - "

"It's alright, Peyton. It's fine. I'm right here and I don't blame you for feeling unsettled, I don't." Mac kept his voice calm and steady, the same voice he used day in and day out to reassure crime victims and worried friends and family. His voice belied the churning terror welling up inside him...for Peyton's call was eerily identical to the phone calls plaguing himself. Whomever this person was, was now reaching out to Peyton. But for what purpose? How did this person know about Peyton in the first place?  
"I tried to get over it, thinking it was nothing, but I've been lying here awake for the past half hour and I can't. I...I needed to talk to someone, hear someone reassuring me that I was not blowing things out of proportion - but I didn't want to alarm my family. I hope you don't mind, but I wagered on the fact that you would still be awake."

He smiled. "Peyton, I said it was alright. And it is. Feel free to call me anytime, okay? But, Peyton, if this should happen again, I want you to have the police check up on it. I'm sure you have a friend or two on the force that could put an inquiry on it, alright?"

He could almost see Peyton nodding her head as she sat up in her bed. "I promise." She laughed softly. "Thank you Mac. I really needed to hear some reassuring words. I was really unsettled." Pause. "But now that I'm up and seeing as it's just past four in the morning and I have to get up soon, do you have some time to talk?"

Mac glanced down at the folders on his desk and decided that they, and his tired body, could be ignored for a little while. "Of course, Peyton."

He tried hard to conceal the worried note in his voice.

* * *

"Greg, where is that blue golf shirt of yours?" Helen stared down at her husband with a large plastic laundry basket on her hip. "Hand it over."

Looking up from his work, Greg blinked at his wife. "I thought I put it in the hamper already."

"Well, it's not there and I want to get down to the laundromat before it gets crowded or before that old bat Mrs. Yates takes all the washers. She always does that." She set down the basket. "Try to find it please while I go get Penny's clothes." Ignoring her husband's sigh behind her, Helen walked over to her daughter's room and paused for a moment. With the exception of breakfast, Penny had stayed the entire day in her room, a fact that worried Helen. She had wanted to take her daughter to a doctor, but what would she say? Her daughter had no physical symptoms and Helen wasn't even sure what was wrong.

"Penny, honey?" Helen knocked lightly, once, before opening the door. And gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Penny! What happened?" Helen flew to her daughter's side, who had been in the process of changing shirts, and who had inadvertently revealed a large greenish-yellow bruise spreading halfway across her back. "Penny! My God! Where did you get this? No, don't," Helen added sharply as Penny tried to spin away. "Is this what you've been hiding? Greg! Greg!" Helen tightened her grip, hating to hurt her daughter, but knowing they needed to deal with this.

"What, Helen? What is it?" Greg came barreling into the room before his eyes widened into shock. "What the hell?"

"Greg!"

Grimacing in apology, Greg knelt beside his daughter, tilting her face toward his. "Penny honey, what happened? Your mom and I are just worried. Where did you get this bruise?" His gray eyes searched his daughter's, who continued to squirm in her mother's arms. "Did someone at school hurt you? Was there a fight during recess? Penny, answer me!"

Penny burst out crying, turning away from her father and burrowing herself into her mother's arm.

Helen glared at her husband. "Greg! Keep your voice down. How can she answer when you won't give her the chance?" She sighed before looking down at her daughter. "Penny, you want to tell us what happened?"

"No!" Penny shouted, wrenching herself away and pulling her shirt on the rest of way. She dive-bombed into her bed and covered herself with her blanket, petulantly ignoring them.

Placing a hand on her husband's arm as he made to move after her, Helen mutely shook her head. She pulled Greg out into the living room, shutting their daughter's door.

"Helen - "

"She's not going to tell us anything now, Greg. Let her calm down, then maybe." She watched Greg pace and bit her lip. "Perhaps now we can take her to a doctor. They could recommend us someone, a specialist, to talk to Penny. That's what they do right? Talk to people for a living. She's not going to talk to us."

Raking a hand through his hair, Greg sank down onto the couch, thinking. His shoulders slumped as he looked up at his equally worried wife. "We'll take her tomorrow."

* * *

A/N: As you can see, Lindsay and Danny still have their own issues to deal with, but I promise they'll resolve themselves with (cough)smut(cough). And I've brought Peyton in - I rather liked her actually and disheartened when she left the show. R&R!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

A/N: 'kneels on floor, clasping hands in supplication while begging for forgiveness for the late update' Sorry! Mostly a filler chapter, giving me the excuse to broaden my writing as you'll find out when you read.

* * *

Chapter Seven

"The bruise is rather large, but as you can clearly see, it's already well on its way to healing," the doctor said. "What is concerning is the largeness of it. Penelope has no other injuries on her. Thank you for being so patient, Penelope." The female doctor glanced down at the young girl, who had remained silent throughout the examination, before motioning the parents off to the side.

"It's entirely possible that it is as you suggested, Mrs. Williams, that the kids playing games during recess got a bit rough, but that wouldn't explain Penelope's silent behavior. I'm no expert when it comes to this, but it seems clear that Penelope is exhibiting some signs of abuse. Withdrawal, sadness, a need for approval and attention, the large bruise, the shying away and flinching from physical contact, not telling anyone about what happened," the doctor listed. "But, since there is such a wide range of symptoms, Penelope's behavior and bruise could also be caused by something entirely different. This is just to be safe. We won't know anything definite until Penelope herself tells us."

Helen brushed away a tear with the crumpled tissue in her hand. "Is there anything we can do? I hate seeing her like this."

"Be patient with her. Children open up to people they trust; you, as her parents, are first and foremost at the top of that list. She may tell you eventually. Show her that your love for her won't change because of this, but don't push her."

A sharp knock on the door halted the distressing conversation.

"What's this?" Greg Williams frowned as a woman wearing a smart business suit entered the room.

The doctor looked somewhat apologetic as she looked at the couple. "I'm sorry, but it's procedure to call the Department of Children and Family Services when a case of what appears to be child abuse comes in. Rest assured though, that from what I've seen, I can give my professional opinion that Penelope is not in any danger from you, but the police may be able to determine who is causing your daughter harm."

The slender woman flashed her badge. "Mr. and Mrs. Williams, I'm Detective Branco. I'm sorry to have to question you like this, but with these cases, it's imperative to gather all necessary information to stop this abuser from hurting other children, if it is indeed a case of child abuse. I'm sure we'd all like to get this person off the streets quickly." She flipped open a small notebook. "Now, what I'd like is a list of people that have been in contact, alone, with Penny in the last month or so."

* * *

"It's been a while since we were all off," Hawkes commented, watching Lindsay take a shot as the two played a friendly game of pool. "And on Saturday night. This is nice."

"Slow week." Danny took a sip from his beer, watching Lindsay, but more interested as she bent over the table. She was wearing those jeans he liked...a lot. And evidently a lot of other guys liked as he sent a warning scowl to a brown-haired punk watching Lindsay from the bar.

Engrossed in winning the game, Lindsay missed Danny's scowl, but judging by the amusement on Hawkes' face, he didn't. The two were funny to watch. Sinking another ball, Lindsay studied the table, searching for the right angle. Last one and she'd win. Not that she and Hawkes had anything riding on this game, but she was nothing if not competitive. A second later, she sent the last solid careening into the corner pocket, straightening up with a grin.

"I'm done." Hawkes gave a resigned smile. "How about I buy a round of drinks as loser?"

Lindsay waved the offer away. "No, it's fine, Shel. My skills are too awesome," she teased. "I think I'm going to play another game."

"I'll play ya' Montana." Danny moved quickly as he spotted the brown-haired guy moving their way. He set his finished beer down and took the pool cue from Hawkes, who joined Stella and Mac as the curly-haired woman tried to get him to try her fruity spritzer. Danny possessively kissed Lindsay's temple while running a hand down her back. He slung an arm around her waist, clearly telling the guy that this particular woman was taken. "Wanna' bet?" He grinned.

"Are you sure about that? As I recall, you already underestimated me once before." She slipped out of his hold, shooting him a saucy smile before racking up the balls.

Danny chuckled, his mind flashing back to that wonderful night that started it all. Curling his lips into a sexy smirk guaranteed to make her shiver, he murmured, "If that's what happens when I lose, I'm really looking forward to what happens when I win." He gestured. "It started with you breaking."

Lindsay leaned over the table. "And it ended with me finishing too, I believe." A loud crack resounded, scattering the balls and sinking one right off. She moved closer to Danny's side of the table to take another shot, prompting him to whisper in her ear as she passed, "I believe it ended with us _both_ finishing. Several times."

A flush crawled up her neck. With their provocative comments, the way he leered at her, the memories of that night taking front and center in her mind, it was no wonder Lindsay found it hard to focus on the game.

All noise drowned out as the two connected eyes and unconsciously began to play, unaware of anything but each other.

Their game of pool began.

And their memories began to play.

--

"_No, you either pay me now or come up with something better." She stared at him for a moment before the two came together in a crash of lips. Quickly discarding their shirts, Danny wasted no time in lifting her up onto his pool table. _

_Threading her fingers through his hair, feeling the soft spiky texture, Lindsay held on as Danny moved lower and planted hot open-mouthed kisses on her breasts while his hands, rough and slightly calloused, passionately ran down her sides before sliding up her back to undo her bra clasp. _

_He'd waited so long for this. Danny hadn't expected Lindsay to kiss him or rather anything else when he had invited her over. He was actually just happy she hadn't run off in the other direction when the invitation slipped out of his mouth. Her proposition of offering something other than money had thrown him for all but three seconds before he felt his body reacting and Lindsay's lips crashing down on his. _

_Loathe to stop tasting her skin, Danny slipped off her bra, throwing it somewhere behind him, wasting no time in taking one rosy nub in his mouth. He'd fantasized about what her body looked like often; what it'd be like to rip off her clothes and kiss and touch her all over on a layout table in the lab. Her moan of his name and the tightening of her hands on his hair caused him to harden more. Cradling her head gently with one hand, Danny lowered her onto the soft green felt of his pool table, mouth lapping leisurely licks against the hardened peak. _

_Lindsay arched her back, feeling unbelievably aroused. She felt his hands tearing at her belt, her button-down jeans and a shudder ran through her. She toed off her shoes while he fiercely tugged off her pants, leaving her lying on his pool table wearing only her black lace underwear. A shiver shook her as his eyes darkened at the sight of her lying on his pool table. Lindsay's foot crept up the inside of his jean-clad thigh, inching higher. "Lose the pants, cowboy." Her toes brushed against his arousal and Danny's eyelids fluttered before he made quick work of his jeans._

_She was beautiful. Danny's eyes hungrily traveled down the length of her body, memorizing every detail of flesh uncovered. God. He finally had her; Montana. Naked. On his pool table. Brown liquid pools drawing him in. _

_Quicker than lightning, he was on top of her, mouth latching on hers. He'd wanted this. More than once. His tongue outlined her lips before plunging into her mouth, welcoming her moan. Teasing her with quick swipes against her tongue, his hands greedily cupped her breasts, caressing them until they ached. "Danny..."_

_Lindsay was lost in the euphoric sensations he was creating. He felt so good. His lips, the feel of his stubble brushing against her sensitized skin, his hands. Kneading his neck, aching to have him closer, her fingers ran down his muscled back before raking her nails lightly up it. Wanting, desperately, to feel more of him, her hands traced a path to the waistband of his boxers, teasing him with feather-like touches. Danny grounded against against her, drawing out a gasp; Lindsay had never felt so hot. _

_Aching to touch him everywhere, Lindsay tugged at Danny's boxers, wanting them off, gone, and away. Parting from her, Danny obliged with her unspoken request, but not without, nearly ripping off her own underwear. Eyes alighting greedily upon the apex of her thighs, Danny abruptly found himself on his back, Lindsay already having plans of her own. _

_With voracity in her own eyes, Lindsay took a moment to feast upon Danny's delicious-looking body and knew her fantasies were not far off. He was everything and more. Her hands gliding over the exposed skin, outlining toned clefts, muscled indents, wanting to memorize every single patch of skin._

_Danny's cerulean eyes caught the look of intensity in Lindsay's eyes and suppressed a shudder. So focused on him, his body. She was amazing. Granted, this wasn't exactly how he pictured their first intimate encounter, but he'd take whatever as long as it ended up the same. Both of them, naked and satisfied. _

_She took his hardness gently in her hand and began to work him, eyes switching from his hardened length to his face, twisted in pleasure, and back again. Back and forth. It was magnetic to watch the emotions flit across his face and know she was responsible for it. Dipping her head, curls brushing against his chest, her tongue flicked out and tasted his heated skin._

_Danny's whole world shrank, senses attuned only to her physical touches, the drugged euphoria burning him up; his pleasure completely dependent on the woman hovering above him. She stroked him, fondled and paced him, until Danny thought he'd go crazy. The repeated sweep of her thumb over his tip caused Danny to thump the back of his head onto the table. Her mouth feasted upon his delectable flesh, skimming his broad chest, nipping at his neck.  
_

_"Maybe," he panted. "We should take this to the bedroom...Linds, god..." Danny closed his eyes as her pace increased. Where did she learn how to do that? She was going to kill him. "Linds...Montana...ya gotta' stop..." If anything, his gasped out words spurred her more and Danny growled. He flipped them over, catching a startled yelp from Lindsay, before it turned into a delighted gasp that had her arcing up against him at the feel of his fingers at her entrance; rubbing, teasing her with the shallow thrusts of his fingers. Greedily taking his turn to see her squirm and writhe as he caressed her. _

_Her head thrashed, uncontrollably lost in the sensations. His fingers copied the strokes she had teased him with before inserting his finger, searching for that spot. He worked her up with wicked intent, almost cruelly showing her how skillfully he could play with her body, refusing to stop his tune until Lindsay bit her lip and then shouting as her body stiffened, hands gripping the sides of the pool table as she climaxed. _

_Danny thought she was magnificent to watch. He licked his lips when she came down, at her breathy gasps, light perspiration dotting her chest, and best of all, the glazed look of utter happiness in her eyes. _

_Groping, almost blindly, Lindsay reached out to Danny, wanting him to take her in the most intimate of ways. _

_"Wait...wait. Just let me get..." Danny said hoarsely, groaning as he jumped off the table with difficulty, he was harder than he'd ever been, and bolted for his bedroom, aiming for the side-table to grab a condom. The whole box, actually. If he had anything to say about it, he'd be using more than a one tonight. Ripping open the package, Danny's blood rushed and pounded at the sight of Lindsay. A part of him, the part that had withered slightly at her rejection so long ago, still couldn't believe she was here. That this was happening. That this was real. _

_Lindsay's eyes, glazed over with wanting and sensual mischief , told him to believe it as he tracked her fingers trailing lightly over her chest._

_Dear. God. _

_Condom taken care of, Danny re-joined the woman he'd been aching to be with for months. Capturing her lips and without preamble, he slid into her wetness and Danny gritted his teeth, quelling a moan, feeling her tight heat envelop him. _

_She felt so good, so very good, so damn good. His imagination really hadn't done her justice. And now that he knew what she felt like, there was no way in hell he was ever going to let her go. He looked down at her flushed face, honey curls spread out against the green felt, and eyes closed in pleasure. Her lips, already swollen from his kisses, looked so inviting and he kissed her hard. She moaned into his mouth as Danny thrust into her, her legs locked tight around him and arms grappling at his biceps. _

_God, this is where he was meant to be. With her. Nothing in his life felt this good, he could admit. This good. This right._

_Long languid thrusts, designed to leave her wanting more, Danny found himself not in the mood to tease for very long. He had been waiting for this for too long to waste, at least this first time, on drawing it out. He had to have her. His thrusts sped up, now genuinely pounding into her heat with almost mindless control; Danny drove into her fiercely, relishing in the feel of her warm tightness. Lindsay's hands clutched at his back, feeling his muscles work and contract and she moaned. To her, nothing had ever felt as good as this. _

_He felt her tighten around him, signaling how close she was to the edge and Danny close behind her. A few more thrusts, sinking himself further into her liquid heat, and Lindsay's head flew back as her orgasm washed over her. She bucked against him, crying out. _

_Seeing her lose control, hearing her cry, his name shouting from her lips, feeling her muscles around him...that was it. Danny's head came up and he slammed into her, feeling the final waves of pleasure overtake him. He barely hung on as wave after wave rocked him. It wouldn't have surprised him if they both blacked out. _

_As it was, Lindsay slumped against the pool table; he fell over her, utterly spent. Amazing. The single word resounded around their minds as they lay there, now realizing that perhaps a pool table wasn't the best place, but too relaxed to do anything about it. Their hearts raced, chests heaving in gasps, unable, unwilling to let go of the moment. Danny finally rolled off to the side, pulling out of her her, and then tucking her body close to his. Caught up in the drowsy rapturous aftermath, Lindsay lay a trembling hand on his chest and smiled while Danny ran a hand through her disheveled hair. _

_"Wow," Lindsay whispered. Danny's grin said the same thing. Propping herself up to look down at him, she entwined a leg with his, shooting him a sly smile. "I hope that's not all you have to give me, Mr. Messer."_

_Danny's grin grew as his hands reached for her._

--

"Wow. You guys are playing the worst game of pool I've ever seen." Flack's voice broke the two out of their reverie and they snapped their heads around to see the tall detective standing beside the pool table, holding a beer and his jacket discarded. Between the two, they had only sunk three balls in what must have been half an hour, but their chests heaved slightly and both felt heat radiating off their bodies. "Danny, I know you're better than this 'cause you happened to kick my ass a few weeks ago. And Linds, Danny told me you kicked his ass a while back."

Danny and Lindsay exchanged glances and Lindsay came away with a hot blush; Danny, a wide smirk.

Flack looked at the two of them. He was definitely missing something and by the looks of it, it was something he wasn't all too sure he wanted to know. He took another swig from his bottle, suspiciously looking at the two.

"I think I'm going to get a drink," Lindsay announced in a shaky voice, setting her cue stick down and fanning herself, even though Flack noted the rather cold air in the bar from the door constantly opening and closing.

"I could use one too." Danny followed quickly after, sticking awfully close to Lindsay, leaving Flack, brows lowered into a puzzled frown.

"What was that, then?"

* * *

A/N: Gah...I've lost track of how many times I've written and re-written this! It's not my first time writing smut, but, it's not really my forte, therefore I was somewhat nervous posting this. Anyhoo, my sincerest apologies for the long wait. I promised myself that I would be a prompt updater and I've broken it (hangs head) b/c I know how much I hate finding a good story and then seeing how many months it's been since it was updated. I'm going to try my best to get the next chapter out soon. Hopefully I still have some readers out there!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and O.Cs.

A/N: Engagement parties, birthday parties, hospital visits (I've got a new adorable nephew! and a sick grandfather), vacations, work...you get the picture. Thanks to all who reviewed last time and thanks to those still pushing me to finish this. I'm not abandoning this nor putting it on hiatus, I just need some time to actually sit down and write it! Don't mind if they're a bit OoC; I wanted some happy fluff. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Eight

"Hey Flack! Package for ya!" the desk sergeant called from where he stood, holding the swinging door open that led to the rest of the precinct.

Scribbling down notes on the report he was filing in his messy scrawl that his chief and friends had more than once complained about, Flack stood up, smoothing his steel gray tie with bright green zig-zags against his shirt. He strode to the front desk and Collins, the desk sergeant, handed him a brown envelope that had his name scrawled on it in bold letters. Flack took it, frowning and turning it over in his hands. "Did you see who delivered it?"

Collins shrugged. "Some courier chick. She said that a signature wasn't needed."

Frown still on his face, Flack replied distractedly, "Thanks man." Walking back to his desk, Flack opened it and peered inside. A dark leather material lay inside. His frown deepened. Feeling that this was something that needed to be examined, he dumped the contents onto his desk, but didn't touch them. Using his pen, he shifted the material and got even more confused.

A pair of men's black leather gloves, of good quality, sat on his desk.

They were also shredded beyond repair. It looked like someone had violently taken a sharp knife to them. There was no note.

Flack had no idea what this all meant and why it was sent to him, but he had a couple of best friends that could probably find out for him. Shuffling the envelope and gloves into a file folder he'd emptied, he made his way upstairs to the crime lab.

Getting off the elevator, he saw that Stella and Hawkes were talking to Mac in his office which made his job easier, but made the effort to search out his best friend and Lindsay just to see if these gloves were perhaps connected a case any of them were working. He found the lovebirds sharing a lunch in the break room and he rapped on the doorway.

"Danny, Linds, I need to talk to you guys."

Shooting him puzzled looks, the two silently dumped their mostly finished lunch with Danny swiping a final tomato off Lindsay's salad, placing their pop cans into the recycling bin and wiping his hands before following his girlfriend and best friend as the latter led them to Mac's office. Flack knocked on the glass door and stepped inside at Mac's signal. The trio inside joined in Danny and Lindsay's confusion as Flack explained.

"I just got something strange delivered to me at the precinct and I thought you guys might want to take a look. It could be connected to a case, but honestly, I have no idea what to think." Flack set the folder down on Mac's desk while the team watched with avid curiosity. He opened the file and showed them the gloves.

"Hey, those are mine!" Danny's face was filled with consternation. "Or at least the same brand. I lost them a few days back when I was working a case with Flack. I figured that I set them down somewhere and I forgot to pick them back up." Snapping on a latex glove from his lab coat pocket, he gingerly took the remains of what were his favorite gloves and looked at them sadly. "Man, who would do this?"

"If those are your gloves, then it's starting to look like it's all connected to someone who has something against you, Danny," Mac stated, looking at the gloves and his CSI. "It fits with what's been happening to you lately. Being pushed onto a street, the scorpion in your scarf, and now this. Someone's been watching you and they've been pretty close, close enough to plant that scorpion and to swipe your gloves. They're sending a pretty clear message of their anger against you and these incidents may start to escalate."

"And all we got to go on is a flimsy description of a woman with frizzy brown hair," Flack replied. "She could be the one doing this, or be an accomplice." He looked at his friend wryly. "Are you sure you haven't pissed off any women lately, Danny? Turned someone down on a date?"

Danny sent him a withering look. "Of course not. Everyone practically knows about me and Linds." He glanced down at his girlfriend standing beside him with a thoughtful frown. She wasn't worried about what Flack said; Danny was hers, but was more along the lines of trying to figure out who could be doing this.

Hawkes rubbed his chin, musing aloud, "These gloves are an indication of childish anger. It's entirely possible that they have a perceived slight against Danny. They may have taken severe offense at something you did or said, something not even aimed at them, and focused on it. It may be something so minuscule that no one gave it a second thought, but this person was so offended by it, that it triggered something inside them and they felt a need to strike out at you, seeking vindication. It could also be a sign that this person may be mentally unstable and delusional."

"Which makes this wacko even more dangerous," Danny finished, sighing. "Great." He raked a hand through his hair. This was something he nor anyone else needed.

Lindsay bit her lip, stifling the urge to reach for Danny's hand. "This person is definitely watching Danny. The attacks on him are opportunistic, not really planned. Could potentially be a stalker except instead of trying to get Danny's attention, they may be trying to...to kill him." The last part was whispered. A cold tingle ran down her spine at the thought of someone watching Danny at all hours of the day and possibly night, waiting to pounce. Feeling her unease, Danny gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'll just have to be careful then."

"**Extra** careful, Danny, and don't go anywhere alone. If you do, tell someone where you're going and how long you'll be, keep your cell phone and gun handy," Mac cautioned. "It may be overkill, but then again, it may not."

"But why would this person send this to Flack and not directly to Danny?" Lindsay questioned. No one had an answer.

"For now, let's bag these and get them to trace," Stella announced, taking the gloves and envelope. "Maybe there's something here we could work with." She laid a comforting hand on Danny's shoulder.

"I'll talk to Collins about remembering the name of the courier company who delivered it," Flack suggested.

Mac pointed at him in a 'you-do-that' gesture.

With that the group dispersed, each thinking about this latest worry for their team. Couldn't they ever catch a break?

* * *

"Are you alright there, miss?"

Forcing the consternation off her face, but unable to hide the weariness in her eyes nor the dark circles under her eyes, Peyton nevertheless plastered a small smile on her lips. "Quite, thank you." She added a nod that appeared to reassure the elderly passerby as he continued his way down the sidewalk, disappearing into the crowd.

Peyton blew out a sigh. She must look terrible; she felt it anyhow.

Four consecutive nights of calls and it had been enough for Peyton to dread going home. The ominous silence on the other end of the line, the loaded silence to her unanswered questions...how had Mac dealt with this? A wry smile flitted across her lips. _Probably much better than her,_ Peyton thought.

A hotel room was out; Mac had told her that the caller had tracked him down ( a thought that made her shiver), and Peyton had no intention of staying at friend or family's house. This was her problem; no need to bring anyone else into it.

At least anyone unnecessary. Mac had told her what to do, which was why she was standing in front of the police station where she had worked for a while, gaining both experience in her job and some close friends in her life. Peyton took a deep breath.

She was going to need those friends now. She couldn't keep living like this.

* * *

"Are you sure we should be here, Linds?" Danny asked his girlfriend as she let them into her apartment. "If this stalker business amounts to anything, I'd rather not want this person knowing where you live."

"You heard Mac; he doesn't want you going anywhere alone. And I would feel better with you here than you alone at your apartment, therefore you are staying here." Taking off her outerwear, she began taking off her black blazer. "Now, why don't you go ahead and order some Chinese while I change?"

Knowing it was pointless to argue with her, Danny hung his jacket. "What's this?" he asked, pointing to an unopened medium-sized box sitting below her coat-rack. The sending address was Bozeman, Montana.

Lindsay turned and her eyes flinched when they landed on the box. Her hands twisted in her blazer. "Oh...it - it's just some stuff from," she took a deep shuddering breath, "from my parents' ranch. Evan...thought I might want them." Lindsay tried to shrug it off, but Danny was already wrapping his arms around her.

He didn't say anything, everything had already been said; the only thing left to do was wait and hope for the day when the pain would become a dull ache if ever.

The two stood in comforting silence before Lindsay pulled away and kissed him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Danny kissed her again, giving her waist a squeeze before releasing her and lightly smacked her butt. "Now go while I order. The usual, right?"

"Uh-huh!" she called as she disappeared down the short hallway.

Danny chuckled and called the take-out restaurant, placing their order.

Lindsay emerged just as he finished, wearing a snug red tank-top that read 'Cowgirl' and small black shorts. Her short hair was up in a ponytail with shorter tendrils escaping and framing her face. Danny grinned. This was one of the sides of Lindsay that he loved best. Unguarded and at home. For a woman who kept so much in and was more private than anyone he had ever known, to see her like this, made Danny's heart swell.

Tilting his head as his eyes went lower, Danny gave Lindsay an innocent smile when she cleared her throat. Jerking her thumb toward her bedroom, she said, "Go get changed, cowboy."

"Can you blame me for ogling?" Unable to help himself, he trailed a firm hand across her behind as he walked past her.

Someone knocked on the door, saving him from a light slap or a retort. Opening it, Lindsay smiled and exclaimed, "Hey Chris!"

At the mention of a male name and the responding male voice, Danny halted in his tracks and swiveled around, catching sight of a twenty-ish-looking man standing in the hall, smiling wide and friendly,_ too friendly,_ Danny thought, down at his girlfriend. Rather comically, if it were at all possible, a cloud of male irrationality popped up into existence above Danny's head and enveloped him at the sight of a male's interest (any interest) in Lindsay.

Immediately, Danny had the urge to walk over and possibly shield Lindsay's suddenly too-exposed body from this guy's potentially wandering eyes (never mind that he himself had been ogling her seconds before).

Montana's beautiful body and bountiful goods were for his own personal perusal. He was her boyfriend; that was his right. His _only_.

Danny quelled the urge, but only just. Instead, as casually as possible, he moved into this guy-who-intruded-upon-their-alone-time's vision, making his presence clear. Nosily he wondered, who was this guy anyway? He probably knocked on Montana's door all the time to ogle her, given what she wore around her apartment.

"Hey Lindsay, I just came to give back that plate you left at Amber's apartment. She didn't want to forget about returning it." He handed over a large clean serving dish.

First name basis? Danny wanted to shake his head sadly. His Montana really was way too friendly sometimes. He had to break her of that habit. Next thing he knew, she'd be striking up conversations with creepy strangers on the subway and inviting bums off the street for supper.

Danny stood there, pretending to be interested in a gardening magazine, silently telling the guy to leave already.

"Oh thanks. Tell Amber I said hi."

"Will do. Bye." Chris waved, eyes momentarily flicking to the wiry man in his girlfriend's neighbor's apartment. The man's eyelid ticked.

"Bye." Lindsay closed the door and turned, stopping at the odd sight of Danny reading a Garden and Home magazine. "Danny? I thought you were going to change?"

"I was. I am." He discarded the magazine, not interested in knowing the proper way to pot a plant. "Who was that?"

"Chris?"

"Seemed really friendly, that's all I'm saying." He shoved his hands into his jean pockets. "I'm telling ya' Linds, I think you're too friendly. You have enough friends in the city, don't you think?"

An amused smile slowly made its way onto her lips and she crossed her arms. He was jealous. Danny didn't get jealous often. It was a riot to watch. "You can never have too many friends, Danny." His brow furrowed a tiny bit and her smile widened as she explained, "Chris is my next door neighbor's boyfriend. He has no interest in me when his girlfriend is a tall, thin gorgeous redhead with big boobs and a tiny waist who does model work on the side. And besides, I have you, my sexy Italian cop with the perfect baby blues, devilish smile, chiseled abs, and charming personality, who, incidentally, could also do model work on the side. Why would I look anywhere else?" Lindsay rubbed his chest soothingly, plying on the words and no doubt inflating Danny's ego, whilst laughing inside. "Why don't you change? I'll get some plates."

His ego was indeed inflating, causing Danny to all but forget whatever that guy's name was. "Devilish smile? Really? So when I smile at you, do you get all hot and bothered? How about - " Lindsay smacked his chest lightly. "But seriously, model me?" He gave a snort.

Nodding her head, there was an impish twinkle in her eye. "You could model for me anytime, clothed or nude, I'm not picky."

Danny chuckled. "Only if you return the favor." He gave her a quick kiss before heading to grab the clothes he kept at her place. Minutes later, dressed in black sweats and a snug navy blue t-shirt, Danny made his way back to the living room and not seeing Lindsay, settled onto the couch, waiting for her to return. He grabbed the remote and turned on the t.v searching for something interesting. It being six, most of the channels were detailing the major news headlines of that day and earlier in the week before Danny finally settled on the sports channel.

A quiet voice distracted him however from the game re-cap and curious, Danny set the remote down and headed toward the kitchen.

A female voice sang from a radio that Lindsay had sitting on a shelf, but the song currently playing had an extra singer as Lindsay quietly sang along while taking plates out for their take-out.

Eyes drawn to the gentle motion of her hips as she swayed to the music, Danny had a sudden vision of her doing the exact same thing in the kitchen of his apartment only perched upon the counter and singing along was a little child. A sweet little girl with similar brown hair up in pigtails and dressed in a cotton-candy pink t-shirt and the smallest pair of jeans he'd ever seen.

Whoa.

Danny shook himself free of the thought that a small part of him admitted did not freak him out as much as he thought it would, but still, it was too soon for such things. For now, he was contented to enjoy the picture in front of him; something, he was sure, that most people did not get to witness Lindsay doing.

Her voice wasn't that of a glorified superstar, but Danny had to admit that she was better than most. Better than him, anyway; Flack had once told him he had mistaken Danny's singing for him dying. It was sweet and clear, mimicking the melodic inflections of the female singer on the stereo. He leaned against the kitchen doorway and simply watched her. Over the clinking of the plates as she brought them out, Danny listened to her singing the lyrics, catching a few words.

_'But my love for you, it will never go away/ And I don't wanna go to sleep/ 'Cause you are like a dream/ For every night I see you there/ And I swear you are the answer/ You're an angel, you're an angel, you're an angel/ ...'_

He smiled. It was a completely cheesy song; a typical upbeat love song that probably every music artist had included in at least one of their CDs, but it took on a whole new aspect for Danny hearing it sung quietly from Montana's lips. If anything, the song was meant for her. She was his dream and as for the angel part...

"I prefer being the devil in the relationship, I gotta' tell ya."

Lindsay spun around, a dark purple ceramic mug in her hand and though he was disappointed that she had stopped singing, her wide startled eyes and blush more than made up for it. He didn't think he'd ever tire of seeing her cheeks heat up. Deliciously wicked thoughts swam in his mind of what else would heat those cheeks up. Danny chuckled, pushing himself off the doorway and sauntering toward her. "Though, I guess it balances out since your warm heart and beautiful smile must surely mean that you are an angel." Placing the mug onto the counter, he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a mischievous look. "How would ya' like to be corrupted?"

Lindsay burst out laughing at the sweetness of his line. "I think you've already managed to corrupt me, Danny." She wound her arms around his neck and gave him a lingering kiss. In an automatic gesture, Danny's hands delved under her shirt, caressing her stomach and Lindsay smiled into the kiss. He was always doing that. Every time he held her. Even when her shirt was tucked in and in public; thankfully, they toned things down at work. She could just picture the reprimanding look on Mac's face or the knowing smile on Stella's.

For the second time that evening, a knock sounded the door. Relinquishing his hold with a final nibble, Danny said, "That's probably the food." He gave her a look-over. "I'll answer the door this time."

She just shook her head and grinned reassuringly. "Don't worry, I have no designs on the delivery boy."

"Wearing that outfit, you'd probably make his day though."

* * *

Mac shared a tired smile with Stella as the two went over the evidence from their case one more time. It was nearing seven and technically, both should have gone home by now. But this case, a family of three, father, mother, and little boy, had been murdered in their home, stuck with them and they strove to put their killer behind bars and give some closure to their remaining son, who had been away at college.

Stella rubbed at her empty stomach. "How about we take a break? We haven't had dinner yet and my stomach is protesting."

Agreeing, Mac was about to suggest pizza when Stella's eyes suddenly narrowed and hissed out, "What is that woman doing here?"

Turning, Mac spotted an attractive woman wearing a business suit and a jaunty-looking younger man with golden blond hair stepping off the elevator. The woman stopped a lab tech and asked a question before being pointed in the direction of one the corner labs at the end of the hall.

"That's Branco!" came Stella's displeased voice. "Harpy."

Mac's eyebrows rose marginally. He had never personally met the woman who had temporarily taken over his lab, if only for a day, and who had managed to piss off Stella in that short amount of time. He too, was wondering what her presence here was. The two of them tracked them, navigating the halls, and with a shared look, Mac and Stella moved to intercept them.

The two managed to catch up to the Branco and her associate just as, Mac noted with surprise, they stopped in front of an unlikely person.

Adam looked up from his work with surprise when a crisp voice in front of him asked, "Adam Ross?"

Catching Mac and Stella entering the room, Adam felt a small amount of relief, but not much as he nodded his head. "Yes, that's me."

Flashing a badge, the woman introduced herself. "I'm Detective Branco and this is Detective Carrick. We're detectives with the Special Victims Unit."

Stella and Mac both inhaled shocked breaths while Adam grew more confused. "Okay...?"

"Mr. Ross, we are here to talk to you about a seven-year-old girl named Penelope Williams."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the o.c's and plot.

AN: Better late than never, I say!

* * *

Chapter Nine

"Detective Taylor, I don't quite understand why you're here," Detective Branco asked, her dark brown eyes were flashing with irritation.

Not taking his hands out of his pockets or belying his casual stance, Mac coolly stated, "I am simply here looking out for a valued employee of mine. Given that you are from the SVU and knowing the crimes your unit specifically investigates implies some things about the questions you wish to ask Mr. Ross here. I am not here to interfere with your investigation, Detective, or to pressure Mr. Ross in any way. He has willingly agreed to answer your questions and if he wishes it, I'll leave." To his credit, Mac's voice never rose, but remained remarkably steady and calm, just like the man himself.

Stella smiled. She stood directly outside Mac's office, not hearing what they were saying, but judging from Branco's annoyance at Mac's unruffled stance, it had to be good.

Mac had graciously offered up the use of his office for privacy when Branco had asked to question Adam on a matter, but made no point to leave when the group moved to the office. Stella, although wanting to offer her support, realized that her presence would only make things worse. Adam's knee jumped nervously as he sat in one of Mac's chairs, but whether that was because it looked like he was going to be on the wrong side of an investigation or because of the invisible sparks shooting to and fro between Mac and Branco was unknown. It was probably both.

The other detective, Carrick, had yet to speak, joining Adam in watching the clash between Mac and Branco, but he at least looked friendly. He had smiled at Stella when the group entered the office. Stella, did not smile back.

"I-It's fine," Adam spoke up and almost recoiled from the death stare Branco shot him.

"Fine," she replied shortly. She flipped open a notebook. "Mr. Ross, as I said, we're here to ask you some questions about Penelope Williams. You are acquainted with her, yes?"

"Penny?" Adam asked. "Yeah, sure. I baby-sit her sometimes when her parents have to go out for stuff. We play video games and stuff. The non-violent video games," he hastened to add.

"The last time you baby-sat Penelope was nearly two weeks ago, correct?"

Adam thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think so. Her parents were going to this function for the night and couldn't find anybody else. Mrs. Williams told me to be at their apartment by 6:30 because the thing started at seven."

"And what happened when you got there?" The question came from Carrick.

"I showed up on time with my PS2 and Kingdom Hearts game. The last time I baby-sat Penny, we managed to get pretty far and so we saved it. I figure we could play it again. She liked playing Goofy. Mrs. Williams had ordered pizza and they told us goodbye and left. I said hi to Penny, she said hi back, I showed her the game, and we pretty much played until her parents got home at 10."

"That's all you did?" Branco stared at him.

"Yeah," Adam drew the word out, wondering why this woman was jumping down his throat.

"Are you absolutely sure? Did Penelope seem different to you?"

"She seemed a bit quiet, but I remember her mom saying that she'd been withdrawn lately. Mrs. Williams was hoping I could cheer her up and that it was just a phase. She was trying to cook all of Penny's favorite foods."

Branco moved closer to Adam. "I don't suppose you know why Penelope has been so withdrawn, do you?" Without waiting for an answer, Branco suddenly went off on a now-frightened Adam. "Tell the truth, Ross, that night, when you went over there, did Penny want to do something else? Or not want to do something else? Is that it, Ross? Did you want Penelope to play another 'game' with you? And when she said no, did you smack her?" Branco slammed a picture of the large colored bruise the detective took of Penelope's back. "Take a look at that! It's consistent with being thrown against a wall, hard. Violently. Tell me, Ross, did you do that to her?"

Mac's jaw clenched but he made no move, letting Adam stammer out an answer, "N-no! Absolutely not! I never touched Penny! I would never hurt her! She's just a kid! I had nothing to do with that!"

Branco got up in his face. "Give it up, Ross! Penelope's parents gave us a list of people their daughter had been in contact with and you are the only person on that list that had the time and strength to do this. What's up with that, Ross? You like hitting little girls? Do you like doing other stuff to little girls too?"

This time, Mac did intervene. Controlling his anger, he strode over and placed a strong calming hand on Adam's shoulder and said forcefully, "I think that's enough of that, Detective. Kindly remember that Mr. Ross willingly consented to your questions, the rational ones anyway, and he gave you his answers. You have no right to suddenly accuse him of anything, especially when you have no proof...of anything. Certainly no right to suddenly start flinging baseless accusations at him." He stared the woman down. "Now, if that's all, I suggest you leave and any other questions you have for Mr. Ross can be asked in the presence of a lawyer, if necessary."

Branco's eyes flared at Mac's seeming high-handedness, but nodded sharply at her colleague. "I'll be back, Taylor. Don't think otherwise."

The two walked out, Branco's heels clicking sharply on the floor. Stella made a move to join Mac when Carrick stopped her. "Detective Bonasera, right?" He handed her his card. "I'm sure you feel the same way as I do in getting a suspected child abuser off the streets, so if you remember or hear anything, feel free to give me a call, anytime. My cell number is on the back." He flashed her another smile.

She looked at him with distaste. "I would feel that way, yes, **if** I knew a child abuser...but I don't." She didn't take the card.

Carrick remained unaffected. He tucked his card into his pocket. "I'll be in touch." He strolled to join his superior in leaving.

Stella burst into Mac's office just as Adam said shakily, "Mac. Mac, I had nothing to do with this. You gotta' believe me."

Mac smiled at Adam while Stella gave the younger man a reassuring squeeze on the arm. "We believe you Adam," Stella said strongly. "You don't have to tell us."

* * *

The new week should have brought new life and optimistic hope that this week would be better than last, but that Monday, issues still bogged the team down. Coming into work that morning, Danny, Lindsay, and Hawkes were treated to the latest gossip around the 'water-cooler' and it was mind-boggling. Adam, quiet, rambling Adam Ross, a suspect in a crime? Being investigated by the sex crimes unit? There were other outrageous rumors flying around and Lindsay was hard-pressed not to tell off gossiping techs and secretaries to mind their own business. Adam himself, was off-shift. She shook her head as she went off to meet Danny for an early lunch with Flack. That poor boy was going to be walking into a disaster when he finally arrived and Lindsay resolved to let him know straight away that she was on his side. _Like the whole lab should be_, Lindsay thought, her eyes cutting to a pair of whispering techs. Honestly, weren't they all adults here?

Even when she met up with Danny and Flack and the three were seated in a diner close by did the topic persist. Being close to Mac and Stella, they were able to get most of the facts and not gossip.

Danny inhaled his fries, much to the others' amusement. "That Branco woman is going to be trouble. Only a day in the lab and she was already trying to mix things up. I remember a couple of techs complaining about how she told them off for being too slow at their jobs. You can't exactly put a rush order on every single case; that would just be too much."

"I've never met the woman," Lindsay said, picking at her burger. "But from hearing Stella mutter unflattering things about her and even seeing Mac's face, I'm not in all that much of a hurry to meet her." She dipped a fry into her ketchup.

Flack bit into his burger. "You and me both." Though his stance was a relaxed one, his eyes scrutinized anyone who ventured near the trio, always alert. He did not want a repeat of the scorpion incident.

Taking a sip of his drink, Danny shook his head. "I'm more concerned about what this is going to do to Adam. When he's found innocent in all this, his reputation at the lab is still going to be tainted." He sighed, remembering the Tanglewood case. "I know something about how that feels."

"The entire lab is full of gossips." Lindsay frowned, offering the rest of her fries to Danny, who had already finished his meal. "Adam's off-shift, so he can't even defend himself. I thought people knew him better than this. It makes me so angry." Her hands unconsciously tore a napkin to shreds.

Danny and Flack shared an amused look. It wasn't often that Lindsay got angry; the team was already full of hot-heads and volcanic tempers, so to see her with an angry frown was slightly funny. Being only 5'3 and a petite frame, it was easy to think of her as an angry kitten, but the rest of the team knew better. Lindsay, after all, had become infamous for her flying tackles and large hunting knife. Danny thought she looked cute when she pursed her lips like she was doing now, creating a little pout.

"Adam knows we got his back," he said.

Finishing their early lunch in silence, the three began walking back to the lab.

"Stella didn't like the other detective that came with Branco either, Carrick, I think. Said he seemed too slick and not in a flattering way." Lindsay huddled in her winter coat and she instinctively moved closer to Danny for warmth. Getting off the troubling subject, the three talked about the cases they were working on until they reached the lab.

"Hey!"

The shout attracted their attention and they saw some commotion in front of them. Moving forward to see if they were needed, the crowd suddenly parted in front of them and Lindsay gave a startled yelp before Danny grabbed her and yanked her to the side, slightly shielding her body with his as a loose hot-dog stand came barreling directly at them. Flack scrambled to the other side, narrowing the metal contraption and dropping his fries. Clinking and clanking, the stand wobbled precariously from side-to-side on its small wheels over the snow and salt pebbles on the wide sidewalk before finally tipping over, wrecking the orange-and-yellow striped umbrella, jarring loose condiments free and scattering food all over the sidewalk.

Danny looked down at Lindsay, arms still protecting her. "You okay honey?"

Taming her pounding heart, Lindsay nodded. "Yeah. You?"

He nodded and turned. "Flack," he called. "You good?"

"What the hell was that?" came his friend's answer.

An older man with gray hair wearing a green parka came jogging toward them through the crowd. He started flailing his arms and swearing loudly in Italian when he saw his upended cart. Danny caught the words 'crazy woman' amongst other familiar curse words and after checking that no one on the sidewalk was hurt, he grabbed Lindsay's hand and motioned Flack to follow him.

"Excuse me sir, can you tell me what happened here?" He flashed his badge, as did Flack.

The man's nostrils were flaring with anger and he continued gesticulating furiously. "Some stupid woman comes out of nowhere and grabs my cart, pushing it down the sidewalk. I was handing a customer his meal and my back was turned. I look back and the bitch was running away with my cart. I yelled and started chasing her, when she let go and took off running in another direction. I make my business with that cart, so I started chasing it and not her." All this was said with wild gestures, foot stomping, and much foreign cursing interspersed.

Danny held up a hand to cut through the man's mutterings. "Can you give us a description of what this woman looked like?"

"How should I know? It's winter, everyone is wearing big jackets. All I saw was her back and some brown hair. What am I going to do now?"

Flack stepped in to deal with the irate man while Lindsay and Danny questioned the bystanders. When it was all said and done, the three sped up their pace to the lab, leaving the angry vendor cleaning up his ruined cart.

As the three stepped into the warm lobby, they stopped to discuss this latest event. "Danny...this could be another attack on you," Lindsay said, concerned. "We should tell Mac."

Rocking back and forth on his heels, Danny sighed. "What pisses me off more is that this attack could have hurt either of you too. This wacko is striking out at everyone now." _Montana could have been hurt_, he thought angrily, eyes flicking to his girlfriend. Realistically, Danny knew that they could take of themselves, but it didn't stop the protective instinct from rearing up.

"And we're still waiting for this quack to slip up," Flack replied.

It wasn't said, but thought all the same by the three. How many more attacks would it take before that happened?

* * *

Later that night, it was Danny opening his door, letting Lindsay in after she adamantly stated that she was coming home with him, despite his arguments that he would feel just at home at her place. The journey up to his apartment had been a silent one, strangely filled with slight tension first from Lindsay in the hallway and then from Danny as they entered the apartment.

Danny stowed the left-overs from their dinner out in his fridge as Lindsay tended to the sudden ringing of her phone and he fleetingly hoped that the two had been called back to the lab.

Unconsciously his eyes were drawn to his darkened bedroom before snapping in the opposite direction and a frowning Lindsay. For a moment, his heart stopped. Had she suddenly caught on to his train of thought? She seemed oblivious earlier in the week, but...

Shuffling towards the direction of his couch, Danny eyed his girlfriend talking, hoping to gain some insight into what was disturbing her. He watched as she paced a bit. "Nothing?" Her shoulders slumped. "Okay...thanks for returning my call, Bill. Just - just call me if anything new pops up, alright?"

Danny eyed her frown and small sigh as she pocketed the phone. "No good?" he pried lightly.

"Dakin's still out there," was Lindsay's explanation, to his relief. "I called a few days ago and my friend on the force told me that Dakin had shot a young girl and stole her car a few miles away from the mountain. They're still searching, but..."

Danny inwardly slumped in relief. She still seemed oblivious. "You can't get obsessed over this Linds." He walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "This is just like that Vackner case, remember? It drove you crazy. And you still don't know why. Even when they catch this guy Linds, there's no guarantee that you'll get the answer you want."

"This is different. This is..."

"This is different, I agree. It's more personal and that's what make it so dangerous to get fixated on this. There isn't an easy solution to this; you just gotta' make do with what you have. And I know that it doesn't seem like much, but it's all you've got. Getting obsessed is only going to cause trouble."

She sighed noisily and broke free of his hold.

"Linds," Danny started.

"I heard," she replied shortly, moving away and sitting on his couch. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. "It's just...I have nightmares." Danny moved toward her, concern in his blue eyes. "Not every night. Not when I'm with you," Lindsay smiled tumultuously at him. "My parents are standing in front of me and their eyes...blood dripping from...my mom," her voice trembled, "I can see the gunshot wound..." Danny knelt in front of her and took her hands in his, wanting her to stop, but knew that she couldn't. "They keep asking me why, you know. Why. Why this happened. Why them. Why didn't I do anything." His heart ached at the sight of her pained face. "And I can't tell them! I can't explain to them the why about anything. **Because I don't know**. The only one who does is Dakin. And he's in the wind and no one knows if he'll ever show up. And I'm stuck with these nightmares asking questions that I can't answer. I just want to know."

He cupped her cheek. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, Linds?"

She sniffled and rubbed her cheek against his rough palm for comfort. "I didn't want to bother you; making such a big issue about it." She coaxed him onto the couch. "Besides, there really wasn't anything you could do. Except be here for me and you are." Lindsay gave a small, but unfaltering smile.

Danny returned her smile and rubbed her thigh soothingly. "Damn right Montana."

The two sat in silence as Danny half-heartedly channel surfed.

"Come on, let's catch some early sleep. I don't know about you, but I'm tired." Lindsay stood and held out a hand.

His lingering smile immediately faltered and while he grabbed her hand, it was with a slight force to cajole her back to his side. He wasn't ready yet. Judging from the roiling apprehension in his stomach, he wasn't ready to lead her into his bedroom, onto his bed where...

Quelling his inner turbulence, Danny adopted a gentle imploring look, hoping to dissuade her. "It's still early and I think they're going to re-cap the New York/Chicago game. Why don't you stay here and when you fall asleep, I'll carry you to bed."

Lindsay eyed him. "That's all right. You can stay here and I'm going to sleep."

He squeezed her hand, hiding his uneasiness. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here with me?"

She saw right through him. "Danny...what's going on with you? Now **you're** acting weird, weirder than normal," she added teasingly. "You didn't seem to mind going to bed with me last night and now, you don't want to?" Light confusion flashed in her eyes.

Sighing, Danny raked a hand through his hair. "Linds, it's not that. It's not." He tried to explain, but words failed him. He didn't want to bring up a sore topic. "You know what? Why don't we head over to your place? It's closer to work and I like your bed better."

Frowning deeply, Lindsay resolutely took a seat on the couch. "Why don't we talk about what's bugging you instead?"

Launching himself to his feet, startling her, Danny strode over to his kitchen, grabbing a beer and popping it open. "There's nothing to talk about. Just forget about it." Lindsay merely sat on the couch and silently looked at him. "What? It's nothing. Stop looking at me like that, Montana." The New Yorker accent in his voice thickened as he got worked up.

Reminding herself that Danny was the one with a temper in the relationship and not her, Lindsay kept her voice calm and quiet. "It wouldn't be nothing if it's getting you all worked up."

"I'm not getting worked up," he snapped, all but slamming the beer down on his counter. In the next instant, Danny's shoulders slumped when he saw Lindsay jump slightly from the noise. Wariness filtered into her eyes as she watched him and seeing that in her, knowing he was responsible, made him feel like an ass.

"Do you remember that talk we had, that night, in my apartment when I got back from Montana?" She deliberately kept her voice soft. "We promised each other that we wouldn't shut each other out. I said that we wouldn't do that any more and you agreed." Lindsay looked imploringly at him. "**I** meant what I said. Did you?"

Danny's breath froze. He knew, without anything else being said, that this was another turning point in their relationship. His chance to show her that he meant what said that time in her apartment the day she came back.

A part of Lindsay cracked. It was only moments ago that she'd let her worries out, confessing about her nightmares and the pain they caused her, and now here Danny was, unable to reciprocate. Her heart despaired. All their heartfelt conversations; their promises that this time around things would be different, that they had to be different if anything between them was going to work, was it all for naught? Empty words, hollow promises?

She stared at him, body stilled at his counter, a distant look in his eye.

Time ticked by as Lindsay watched Danny battle against his inner conflict. Unconsciously holding her breath, trusting him to confide in her, just as she had done. He blinked, and the noise of the television that they had been ignoring in those few suspended moments rushed back to them and Danny focused on Lindsay.

The fixed set of his jaw told Lindsay all she wanted to know. An invisible wall shuttered across his face.

He wasn't going to tell her.

And she could almost feel the bubble of hope, and trust, pop within. Could she have ever thought that this would work? Letting out a silent sigh and fighting the temptation to throw her hands up in surrender, Lindsay got up abruptly and started moving for her coat. She couldn't stay here, not like this. Not...with these things between them. His silence damned her trust in him, and their relationship.

Lindsay's sudden movement snapped Danny into action, hit him with repentant force, recognizing what she was doing, and with quick strides, she was in the tight grip of his arms, preventing her from leaving. He couldn't let her go; he'd suffered through her absence once before. Mentally hitting himself, Danny knew that he hadn't handled this well and he berated himself.

Danny's rough stubble rasped against smooth skin as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, whispering a soft apology. Puffs of hot air caressed her skin as he spoke softly, but firmly, "**I meant it.** I did." His low voice reverberated against her body. "Then and now, I swear, Montana. I meant everything. I'm sorry, it's just..." Danny sighed, rubbing his face against her, reveling in the feeling of contentedness in his whiff of her scent.

Relaxing slightly, Lindsay could scarcely move in Danny's tight grip, but did her best to wrap her arms around him, knowing that opening up was something neither of them had an easy time with. A soft butterfly kiss to his hair, Lindsay waited patiently, hopefully.

"I don't...I don't want you..."

"I sincerely hope that there's more to that sentence," Lindsay tried to joke quietly, tracing comforting circles on his back. She bit her lip. "Danny? ...What's wrong?"

Pulling back and cupping his face in her hands, she rubbed a thumb over his cheek. "You don't want me..." she prompted, searching his eyes asking him to complete his sentence. In the back of her mind, Lindsay struggled to put the pieces together. Danny had freaked when she suggested going to sleep and that he didn't want her to...to what? He had suggested going to her place and she knew he didn't have a problem sharing a bed as last night she almost had to fight for the blankets at her place. His continued silence frustrated her. "Danny." She shook her head. "I can't help if you don't tell me. Please."

He shrugged himself out of her hold and turned away, yanking his glasses off and scrubbing roughly at his face. His posture screamed, _I don't want to talk about this!_ Lindsay knew she had to step lightly; Danny's control on his temper was paper-thin, but there was nothing left in the situation but to know. He wouldn't let her leave; she wouldn't give in without knowing.

Her mind worked. "You don't want me to what? Sleep? Stay here? What? You don't want me to leave, Danny, but you're not helping either of us here. Why won't you tell me?" Confusion etched itself across her face.

"Because!" Danny shouted, causing her to jump slightly. He threw his hands up and spun to face her, frowning despairingly. "I don't...I don't..." He huffed almost frustratingly and ground his words out, though his voice remained quiet. "Because I don't want you anywhere near the same bed that I..." he exhaled heavily. His defeated face riveted on her. "That I betrayed you with. It...It's not right." His blue eyes looked anguished. "I don't want you sleeping there. I don't...I don't want to make love to you there. It just doesn't feel right." _I'm ashamed. _Though unsaid, the feeling was stark in his eyes.

Lindsay blinked and then blinked again. How had she missed this? It seemed as though the both of them had been feeling some conflict over Rikki Sandoval, but while for her, it had been a fleeting worry, for Danny, it seemed to cause a flood of torment. He looked so agonized. Focusing on him staring back at her with a myriad of emotions on his face had her softening her stance. It occurred to her that she had never really said she'd forgiven him and that he had carried this around with him, bearing down on his shoulders. Tucking her hair behind her ear, Lindsay knew that she had to dispel his guilt. She **had** forgiven him. And actions spoke louder than words.

"So, what?" She kept her voice light, but not flippant. "We're just going to spend all of our time at my place? That's not exactly fair to you Danny. And well, I really don't see how we're going to avoid this." She caught his hand and gently pulled him back onto his couch. "Besides, as I recall, we made quite a few good memories ourselves here right? I would like to believe that those memories far-outweigh that one bad one, right?" Lindsay looked hesitant. She reached out, took his chin, and made him look at her. Guilt and remorse looked back at her. Smiling softly, hoping to reassure him, Lindsay leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. "If you need me to say it, I've already forgiven you. A while back. Like you said, it was a mistake. It hurt me a lot, but that's why it's called a mistake, one I hope you won't make again." She kissed him again as he silently shook his head. "We all make mistakes Danny. Let's not dwell on them because they're over, done with, behind us. We've worked through most of it and tonight, we can put the rest of it in the past. I would much rather move forward with you than argue." She softly traced his lips with a single finger; his blue eyes lucid and unblinking on her face. "We good?"

A small kiss on the pad of her finger as it swept over his lips and a sigh of hot breath when he murmured, "We good."

_Actions spoke louder than words. _In one swift move, Lindsay straddled him, arms looping around his neck and caressing the back of his neck. Now was a perfect time to start on making more good memories and erase the doubt from Danny's mind. Automatically, Danny's arms encircled her small waist with one hand slipping underneath her shirt to finger her soft skin. She gazed at him for a moment before bringing her face close to his, their lips almost touching when Lindsay whispered, "Kiss me."

Leaning forward, obliging in an activity that he wished he'd get the chance to do everyday for the rest of his life, Danny proceeded to lose himself in the heat rising up between them. It rose as he let out a groan when Lindsay teasingly grounded herself into his lap. "Linds..." he whispered as she drew away and it did crazy things to his body when her brown eyes, usually so warm and fun, darkened with desire and passion.

Held captive by her eyes, Danny's breathing quickened as her hands slid over his shoulders and down his chest, fingers nimbly popping the blue buttons of his dress shirt. "Danny..." Lindsay murmured, pushing his shirt open, but looking into his blue, blue eyes. "I want you," a finger tantalizingly teased him through his thin undershirt, "to take me to your bed," she gestured with her head, "and make love to me."

Demonstrating his strength, it was with ease that Danny firmly swept off the couch, arms strong vices around her while her legs wrapped his torso. It wasn't a romantic atmosphere; the lights in the living room were bright, no suave amorous music playing in the background, the harsh winter wind rattled the windows, television on, but in that moment, that singular moment, him holding her in his arms as he walked determinedly toward a place that he felt ashamed of earlier...it was perfect. And as he sat her down on the edge of his bed, it was with adoration and love, yes, love was definitely the feeling threatening to burst his heart, that he knelt before her on the hardwood floor.

With the intense emotions swelling in his heart, Danny tenderly began to undress her. Tonight wasn't about tearing each other's clothes off, heavy groping, taking each other over and over in a frantic frenzy of fucking. Her jeans landed in a corner behind him. It was about finally re-connecting with each other after so much pain, unhappiness, of separation. Her shirt followed. Sweet love-making filled with tender touches, sensations flush with pleasure, to be drawn out and heightened throughout the night. Her skimpy blue lace bra and panty set, that had Danny raising his eyebrows and causing momentary distraction, joined its companions. It was what they both needed.

"Danny," Lindsay sighed, cupping his face and drawing his head to hers. His mouth opened over hers, his tongue stroking her teasing, teasing, tasting her. Smoothing her hands over his shoulders, down his biceps, his arms, Lindsay fingers grasped his white undershirt and pulled it over his head, almost catching his glasses.

Immediately, Danny's lips re-sought their connection with hers, groaning softly as Lindsay's hands fluttered lightly over his bare chest, tracing every contour and muscle before being stopped by the waistband of his jeans. Impatiently, she tugged at them, flicking the button open and sliding down the zipper.

Heeding her unspoken request and wanting to feel her naked skin against his own, Danny pulled away and stood, not taking his eyes off of the woman perched in front of him. He shed the rest of his clothes as Lindsay scooted back onto his bed, causing his eyes to darken even more at the beautiful sight of her pale-skinned naked body stretched out against his dark blankets.

Sliding onto the bed and tossing his glasses onto the side table, Danny gathered her up in his arms, eyes closing momentarily as his skin touched hers. Full-on body contact and the feeling was heady. Lowering his lips to her hot flesh, he kissed her shoulders and collarbone tenderly, coasting along her chest, before taking a nipple into his mouth. Lindsay moaned and ran her hands into his hair, mussing it up. He lovingly worshiped one breast becoming rewarded by her hiss of pleasure before transferring his attentions to the other. "You are so beautiful," he whispered against her skin, looking up at her, eyes murky with desire. His hands swept all over her body, leaving sensitized skin in their wake.

Her heart skipped at the tenderness in his voice.

A single finger traced his rough jawline, trailed down his neck causing him to shiver, kneading his shoulders before tugging gently at his hair. Wanting just as badly as he to feast on his body, Lindsay shuffled lower to push him on his back, planting hot moist open-mouthed kisses on his chest.

A rumble reverberated from his throat as Danny closed his eyes at the sensations her lips, her hands, the tips of her silky soft hair, created as she patiently explored his chest and stomach with eager hunger. Her hands skimmed over his muscles, feeling them contract, wandering lower and Danny's hardness throbbed as she touched him. "Lindsay," he said thickly.

Wanting this time to be for the both of them, he drew her up, capturing her lips with his. One hand blindly groped for the drawer in his side table, seeking a condom. Taking it from his hand, Danny's eyes slammed shut as Lindsay rolled it onto him, but not without paying close attention to the hard muscle as she put it on, inch by torturous inch. Gently rolling them over, Danny rose above her and lovingly, willingly, happily, he pressed into her, causing them both to moan. Contentedness and completion washed over them.

Slowly, languorously, Danny began thrusting into her; lazy, long unhurried strokes, drawing out the pleasure, enjoying the sight of her beneath him, mouth parted, letting out whimpers at the feel of him in her.

This is the only place he wanted to be. With her. To be the only man to draw those sighs out of her beautiful mouth. His pace was languid, prolonging the moment, not wanting it to end, though he knew that they'd be making love more than once that night.

Lindsay wrapped her legs around him, craving, desperately longing for more, she tugged at him. "Danny, please, no more teasing," she begged softly. She was teetering on the edge as it was and brown eyes filled with need pleaded with him.

His breathing was ragged and his muscles strained; the feeling building up inside him felt so damn good that Danny couldn't help but speed up his pace. Hearing Lindsay beg merely brought him higher on a euphoric level and that much closer to the brink. Danny pounded into her with earnest now, her cries louder now along with his pants, their blood pumping and hearts racing.

It finally became too much for the both of them and the passion and energy building up exploded, blood rushing in their ears, almost drowning their loud cries in the quiet apartment.

Coming down from the high and wrapping themselves in the aftermath, Danny collapsed onto Lindsay, his hands still gripping her tightly. She ran her hands through his sweat-soaked hair and down his damp back; both of them lost in the blissful cloud wrapped around them.

Danny raised his head from the scented pillow of her breasts and stared at her. "I love you Lindsay." The sincerity in his voice and the intense emotions plainly at the fore in his blue eyes told Lindsay that he wasn't just saying those three words because he was caught up in the moment and her eyes filled with happy tears.

She shifted to kiss him fervently. The look in her eyes was no less sincere as Lindsay whispered back in a soft voice, "I love you too."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but o.c's and plot.

AN: One mystery is solved, but troubles still plague the team.

* * *

Chapter Ten

Lindsay woke up, a grimace briefly flashing across her face as the morning sunlight hit her square in the face before she smiled, remembering the night before. Stretching lazily against the warm body lying next to her, she rubbed her cheek sensuously against the smooth skin of Danny's chest followed by a soft kiss. Lindsay breathed in Danny's unique scent and felt utterly content and happy. Her tongue darted out to taste him and then she looked up to his face, where Danny lay awake, watching her through already darkening blue eyes.

His breathing turned shallow as Danny felt Lindsay's fingers brush over him, lightly tracing a path over his skin, trailing lower. She stretched to kiss his neck, the underside of his chin, following along his jawline while her hands circled lower, until it lovingly brushed over his hardness.

Sucking in a harsh breath, Danny groaned as Lindsay began to stroke him more firmly. A light in her eyes told him that she relished in being in control of him; in making him feel these pleasurable feelings. Lindsay continued her stroking until Danny growled; one hand shooting out to grab her wrist.

"Not that way, love." His voice was a husky rasp, from sleep and from the swirl of feelings her hand produced.

Lindsay's heart jumped when he called her love. Even though, the two had murmured those all-important three words to each other during the night, whispered, mouthed them into each other's skin, had it radiating out from their eyes in the near darkness, Lindsay's heart soared as Danny confirmed his feelings to her in the morning light of the new day. Danny brought her out of her thoughts as his hands began their own wandering over her body. She let out a small moan as he lightly brushed over her breast while his mouth descended upon hers with hungry intensity.

As he moved on top of her, Lindsay was incredibly happy that they both had a later shift. Anything work-related could bother them later. Her eyes slid shut as Danny's fingers began to tenderly tease the area between her thighs.

Oh yes, much, much later.

* * *

"Yes Chief, I understand that, but you can also understand that Detective Branco was overstepping her bounds in her questioning. Yelling at a suspect to induce a confession is hardly the way to undertake a delicate investigation such as this." Mac pinched the bridge of his nose as he talked on the phone. "Yes sir, if Mr. Ross needs to be questioned further, I won't jump in since Mr. Ross has already procured an attorney." He paused. "Yes sir, of course." Mac hung up the phone and sighed heavily. Was there no one on his team that was safe from trouble?

Catching sight of two of his CSIs stepping off the elevator, ready to work and he caught Lindsay's eye, waving and indicating that he wanted to talk to them. She tugged at Danny's sleeve and the two changed direction, Danny one step walking behind his girlfriend.

"What's up, Mac?"

"I'm sure you've heard about the SVU's investigation and that you have all the right facts. I wanted to tell you that it's entirely possible that some of their detectives may want to question you, try to be accommodating as possible," Mac shot the last remark towards Danny. "And also...the backlash from this is starting to affect Adam, perhaps you can lend him some support. Sometimes this place feels less like a lab than a school-yard."

"Already planning on doing that, boss," Danny said cheekily and the two left, searching out their wayward young friend.

Spotting him in a lab diligently working on something, Danny and Lindsay could already see the effects of the gossip taking a toll on Adam. He had been relegated to a corner of the lab and spoke to no one, but what made it painful to see was the way other techs glanced at him from the corner of their eyes and moved away when he needed to use a certain machine.

Dark circles under his eyes, uncombed hair, and rumpled clothes completed the picture. Adam could have taken the day off to hide from the scrutiny, but he needed to work to keep him busy and his thoughts away from losing everything he had by something that he had nothing to do with. Besides, even though no one could do anything, Adam felt safer at the lab where he had friends (or thought he did) than home alone in case that Branco woman came looking for him again. Mac could have suspended him for the time being, if there had been a shred of proof connecting Adam, but as there was nothing, Mac had no reason.

Lindsay clenched her jaw at the sight of Adam becoming a social pariah because something that wasn't even true. Danny just shook his head sadly. He knew what Adam was going through, except in his case, there was evidence. He still visited Louie every Sunday. Making their way into the lab, Danny clapped a hand on Adam's shoulder, causing him to jump.

"Whoa, sorry man, didn't mean to scare ya'. How's my evidence coming?"

"Oh, um," Adam fumbled around. "They're right here."

Taking them, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the table while Lindsay asked, "How are you holding up?"

Uncomfortable, Adam shrugged. "There's not much I can do, you know, except wait until it blows over."

"It will, man. Remember, I went through the same thing, except I got suspended too. Hang tough and know that me, Linds, Mac, Stella...we've got your back."

Lindsay sighed. "This makes me so angry. It's absolutely stupid to think that you had anything to do with this." She gave him a sympathetic smile. "It just burns me the way people are acting around here. You're innocent and soon this investigation will prove that. In the meantime, I doubt Mac would appreciate people gawking at you." Lindsay's voice rose and it was obvious she was aiming her comments to the techs no doubt eavesdropping. The team was fiercely known for protecting their own and by rights, Adam had become part of that select team.

Adam gave a shy smile at Lindsay's vehemence, a faint redness on his cheeks from his leftover crush on her. Something Danny caught and hid a smile at; his girl was something.

"Careful there, Montana. No need to break out that knife of yours just yet. I gotta' say though, Stella said that that Branco woman just snapped. That woman's crazy and I wouldn't put it past her to be using this as a way to get back at Mac for getting out of the hospital so soon and sending her back from where ever she came from and trying to climb the political ladder." He shook his head. "I hate those people." Danny lightly punched Adam's arm. "So, keep your cool, man, next time that woman comes around barking."

"Danny!" Lindsay scolded, but couldn't stop the laughter bubbling up.

Adam laughed for the first time since the whole started. "Thanks guys. I appreciate it."

Stella's voice cut in. "And what's going on here?" She and Hawkes entered the room.

"Nothing," Danny said quickly, not really wanting Stella to go on another rant about Branco. He could still feel her nails digging into his skin from last time.

"I heard what happened yesterday, Danny. You guys alright?"

"Flack has no leads and the vendor guy gave us nothing."

"And the case of your crazy stalker continues," Hawkes murmured. "As long as you guys keep alert, that's all we can hope for." He grinned at his friend. "It figures that you would get a stalker, what with your charming bad-boy thing going on."

"When really, Danny's just a big - mmph!" A hand wrapped itself around Lindsay's mouth, cutting her off while a muscled arm circled her waist, lifting her off her feet and carrying her out of sight, down the hall. They had a spectacular view of Lindsay's shocked face as he did so through the glass walls. Everyone's faces were stunned for only a second before they burst out laughing as they could still hear the two.

"Danny!"

"Montana, I ain't going to let you tell lies 'bout me."

"Who said they were going to be lies?" She laughed.

* * *

Crossing the street, Flack suppressed a sigh, but as it was, his shoulders slumped while listening to Devon on his cell phone. She didn't seem to understand the concept of needing to go to work. Right now, she was jabbering away about being invited to a posh party one of her many socialite friends was hosted and how they just had to go.

"I'm just telling you Devon babe, that I'm going to be on call Wednesday night. If something comes up, I'm going to have to leave." He paused. "I know this means a lot to you, but making sure the entirety of New York is safe means a lot to me. I told you my job isn't the usual nine to five thing." Devon said something. "Don't do that. I said I'll go with you. This thing starts at six, right? We'll go, have fun, if it means so much to you. I might not even get called in. Yes, I'll wear that suit you like so much." Flack laughed at something she said as he neared the station. "Babe, I gotta' go. But I'll see you Wednesday night, okay? Bye." He hung up and pushed open the door to begin yet another day solving crimes.

* * *

Two hours later and Stella stood on the sidewalk directly outside the lab, already shivering in the winter air. The entire team had suddenly been swamped with cases and the evidence from Stella's case was put on back-log, causing her to want to pull her hair out in frustration. Rather than do that, she was rather vain about her curls, Stella had offered to pick up lunch for the team and get some fresh air at the same time.

She stood there, not contemplating what to get for lunch, but trying to figure out the source of what was making the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Panning her sharp gaze around, she didn't see anyone standing out or watching her.

"Stella Bonasera?" Stella turned her head and saw an older-looking man huddled in a gray overcoat and her eyes narrowed. In two seconds flat, she had scrutinized the man from head to toe and with the whip-smarts that made her such an incredible CSI, Stella realized that the man fit the description Officer Sanchez had given days earlier. Taking an immediate step back and moving her hand in reach of her gun, Stella was slightly contented that they were in sight of the lab, and the occasional cop strolling in or out.

Sensing her wariness, the man raised gloved hands. "I do not mean to harm you." His rough voice was accented and words halted. "I wish to talk, to you."

Stella kept her guard up. "How about starting with who are you, why are you watching me, and why were you asking questions about me?"

The man looked uncomfortable. "I am sorry; I did not mean to frighten you. But I was unsure if you were who I was looking for. It was, very hard, searching all these years." Stella grew confused as the man cleared his throat. "My name, Theodore Nikoladis and I ask questions about you because I wanted to be sure. It is hard to confirm. That is why I come and wait here for you to ask; to be certain."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?"

He looked apologetic at his stinted explanation. "Forgive me. I am...nervous?" Theodore looked straight at her. "I may have known your mother."

Stella's breath caught and she was barely able to keep herself from staggering. "I-I...what? H-how?"

Looking around, Theodore gestured to a near-by bench. "Perhaps we sit down? I do not want you to hurt yourself and the story is long."

Cautious still, but feeling safe in public, Stella hesitantly followed him to a bench, sitting with a visible space in-between.

"You...you were raised in orphanage? This, I was not aware of for many years, but then," he looked guilty, "I only knew you existed when my sister announced she was pregnant, when I was but six. A little boy." He shrugged helplessly. "I could do little.

"My mother passed away four years ago. I found a box in her closet that held all pictures of my sister and some letters she had sent, but my mother never read. My mother died without reconciling with my sister...I do not want to go the same path. I make goal to find my sister, Diana, and her child. I wanted badly to find her and tell her how sorry I am."

"I assume that my sister, Diana, had stayed with the man who got her pregnant, so I figure that I find him, I find her. I had hoped that she was living happy life." He fiddled with his worn gloves. "I was told however, that the two did not get married and moved to New York to find better life for themselves. It was the American dream. I managed to find him, living alone in the old neighborhood two years ago. It from him that I learn what happen to Diana." Theodore looked heartbroken and his hands tightened. "He tell me that when they got here, they could find no decent work. No one would hire young pregnant couple with little education. It was hard. Very hard. After few months, Diana wanted to go home, but our mother's words were still in her head.

"They were poor. Living in a shelter because Diana was getting bigger and it was too dangerous on streets. It was very stressful time. Diana wanted to keep the baby, but they could not provide anything. They got into many fights. When Diana started giving birth, the stress made it hard on her, and the baby." Tears unashamedly slipped down Theodore's weathered face and he struggled to finish the story. "He tell me that Diana was bleeding heavily when they took her to the hospital. She," he took a shuddering breath, "she died giving birth. Diana did not even get to see the baby before she..." Theodore took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wept.

Stella was rocked and she was glad she was sitting down.

"He was left with healthy baby and Diana was buried in charity plot in cemetery. He could not provide life, so he drop baby off at random orphanage with only name. Name that Diana wanted. Stella."

A cloud of disbelief stayed wrapped around her. "What was the man's name?"

"Jason. Jason Bonasera." Theodore wiped at his face and gazed at her. "He did not know name of orphanage, so it take long to go through all of them with only name." He fumbled around in his pocket and pulled out a messy, old newspaper clipping. "It was by chance that I see, see this." He held it out and it was a fuzzy, almost indistinguishable picture of Stella from an old case. "When I see your name, it-it give me hope, that maybe, I finally find you."

"If what you say is true, if I can believe it," Stella gave a short bitter laugh. "Then where have you been? It's been thirty-nine years and you show up now?"

"Diana and I did not have best relationship. If at all. I was too young and Diana could not be bothered. When she come home and tell our mother that she was pregnant at sixteen, she broke her heart. The neighborhood we lived in was not the best and mother always had high hopes that her children would grow, get out, and make something better for ourselves. Diana was the favorite. She was everything. Beautiful, with curly brown hair, like yours. Eyes were darker green. Smart, too. Had sharp tongue and temper from our mother, determined." Theodore opened his wallet and began pulling out old pictures of Diana Nikoladis. Taking it with visibly shaking hands, Stella's eyes filled with tears. They dripped down and splashed on her coat as she stared at the smiling face of a young girl. At sixteen, Diana was a splitting image of Stella at her age. Her face crumpled, struggling to keep her composure.

"For her to come home, pregnant from neighborhood lover-boy, tore our mother apart. It is harsh truth to realize that there are not many doors open to you when you have baby to care for. My mother was so upset, so angry." Theodore smiled sadly. "I remember huge fight, lots of yelling, screaming, and finally the front door slamming. I remember being too frightened to go downstairs, hearing my mother cry." He wiped away at his tear-streaked cheeks. "I never saw Diana again and I had not the courage to ask my mother if she knew anything. She had already lost one child; it would have killed her to lose another." Theodore spread his hands remorsefully. "It does not excuse me; I have much to make up for. But," he looked at her earnestly, "if you are the one, Diana's daughter. Then I will try my hardest." He shifted on the bench to fully face her, eyes still glassy, full of guilt, remorse, pain, sadness. "My story is sad, yes, but please, for the sake of my now old heart, I wish much that this be the truth. I am willing to take...what is it called? DNA test? To prove whether this is true. I willing to pay for this to be done." He handed a handkerchief to Stella.

Chest hitching, lips tightened and trembling, Stella took the handkerchief and wiped her cheeks. This whole thing was so unexpected. "I...I..." She shook her head; her mind still partly unable to comprehend anything. "Mr. Nikoladis, believe me, I want to find out the truth as well. With everything that I have, I want to know," she said passionately. "I work for the New York Crime lab and have the resources to have a DNA test performed." She took a deep breath, still trying to get her emotions under control and failing. "I'm working right now, but, how about you give me the name of the hotel you're staying at and I'll call you when I can arrange something." Stella stared a moment at the man in front of her. She wasn't sure if it was just because she wanted it so badly or not, but Stella was certain she saw some features that looked familiar to her own. She needed to think and calm down.

Hastily she stood, Mr. Nikoladis following slowly. "I have to get back to work." Looking down at the picture clenched in her hand, she reluctantly handed it back.

Theodore held up a hand. "Keep that. I have more. It is you who I think should take it."

Unconsciously, her grip around the picture tightened. There was a large part within Stella Bonasera that wanted this to be true.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the o.c's and the plot.

Chapter Eleven

* * *

"Any progress on the Williams case?"

"None. The girl's still not talking and we've interviewed all the suspects."

"How about Ross?"

"Lawyered up, but not budging from his story."

"He got a lawyer? Taylor's still interfering, I see. That man acts too high-handed sometimes. Evidence?"

"None."

"Then find some. I want Ross for this."

* * *

"Boom." Danny raised his head from the microscope and looked at Flack. "Identical specks of dirt, tying Sparson to the scene and the body. Should be enough to warrant a search of his apartment. Is that the list of license plates from the garage?"

"Yeah," Flack said, handing the file over. "How about I get the warrant and you start cross-checking with the video surveillance?" He glanced across the hall. "Hey, how's Ross holding up? Kid looks beat up."

"Doing the only thing he can do. Wait it out." Danny leaned sideways on the counter. "Things are tense around here." His eyes caught something and he straightened. "And what's up with Stella?"

The two turned to another part of the lab and saw their usually put-together friend visibly upset, heading straight for her office. "She didn't bring back any food." His stomach pouted and made its feelings known by rumbling loudly.

Concerned, the two men watched, but weren't sure what to do. Danny thought about seeking out Lindsay, but then the solution popped up in the form of Mac Taylor striding steadily in her direction.

Flack raised his eyebrows at the prospect of another crisis, before lightly punching Danny. "I'll get started on that warrant." He strode away, casting concerned glances over at Stella's office.

Danny busied himself tidying up and putting the evidence away before grabbing the surveillance tapes and the folder.

Settling down in the A/V room, Danny opened the folder and a small white piece of paper fell into his lap. Curious, he picked it up and the curiosity turned into apprehension as he read it. Immediately jumping out of the chair, he grabbed a latex glove out of a nearby box and went searching for the woman he loved. This was going to affect her too.

He spotted her head of brown hair seated in front of a computer, Danny tried to quell the anxious beating of his heart.

Announcing his presence by placing a hand on her shoulder and running it down her back He didn't care that there were other techs in the lab; Mac already knew that were dating and the blessings from their friends were all that mattered. Still, Lindsay had told him once that she still got looks from others in the lab.

"Montana, love," he said softly. "I need to talk to you."

Taking a sheet from the printer, Lindsay looked at him in askance before following him to their office, catching sight of Stella and Mac talking seriously in her office. "What's wrong with Stella?"

"That's what Flack and I were wondering when we saw her five minutes ago. Mac's taking care of her." He ushered her into their office and without beating around the bush, he showed her the note in his gloved hand. "I found this in a file folder that I needed for my case."

Without any gloves, Lindsay read it.

'_My love, time is getting too long since we've talked and I miss you more with each passing day. I watch you every day and though you hide it, I see how much that woman wants you. I've been waiting patiently for the time when you tell her of your love for me and that you want nothing to do with her. That you and __I__ belong together. You are too charming for your own good and with not a mean bone in your body, I know now that you don't have the heart to turn her away. So, for your sake and my love for you, you won't have to do anything. I'll take care of that woman for you. She won't be causing any more trouble for us.' _

"Whoa." Lindsay's face grew pensive, not in concern at the threat against her own life, but in concentration. They needed to get this girl off the street. Leaning over to examine the note, a dozen questions zinged around, trying to get some clue about who this person was. Danny's stiffened spine caught her brown eyes and in an attempt to lighten the situation, Lindsay quipped, "At least she has good taste."

An unamused Danny turning to look at her revealed the attempt to be a failure. She spoke quickly, already knowing what he was going to say. "Danny, relax. I mean, not completely relax, it's obvious this person wants to..." She stopped, shaking her head at her rambling and took a deep breath. "Before you go into caveman, protective mode, bear in mind that I'm a big girl, trained, and that I can protect myself okay?" Lindsay glanced around and seeing that they had no audience, she stepped closer and lightly fingered his tan dress shirt. "To be honest, I'm more worried about you. This person, whoever she is, seems intent on wanting to hurt _you_, " brown eyes looked worried, "if there's anyone who needs protection..."

Silent up until now, it was with slow deliberation that Danny set aside the folder and shifted on his feet. But it was when he looked at her, really looked at her, that his eyes said everything for him. Concern, worry, tiredness, fear. "I want you to have some protection, Lindsay." He was resolute. "I know what you just said, and I'm not trying to say that you can't protect yourself, it's just..." he sighed. "It doesn't stop me from wanting to protect you too."

Danny offered her a 100% Danny Messer lop-sided grin that melted more than a few hearts and took her hands in his, interlacing them. "It's encoded in all male DNA. Linds, this person's attacks are getting dangerous." His blue eyes gazed into hers, vulnerability shining through. "I love you, Linds. I don't want anything to happen to you; we've already been through so much and now this...I don't want to lose you over something like this 'I can protect myself' spiel. I know you can, but...I would much prefer it if...we could protect each other. You and me. Me and you. I love you." Danny took a deep breath. "And that's why I think you should stay with me for the time being. It would make things easier," he rushed, trying to justify his statement to his stubborn girlfriend. "Just until we catch this nut, please?" To tip the scales even further to his side, he pulled out the pleading face that he knew Lindsay found hard to resist.

Frowning, she struggled with herself, but when he looked at her like that, so unlike tough street-wise Danny Messer; looking vulnerable and pleading, Lindsay crumbled."I'm going to need to stop by my place to pick up some stuff."

A tiny bit of relief coursed through him at her acquiescence, but he was still fearful for her. Someone was now after Lindsay too. She had been through so much lately, part of which was his fault, and he would be damned if he let anything else have a chance to hurt her. He drew her into his arms and hugged her, burying his face into her hair. "Thank you, Linds," he breathed out.

Lindsay ran reassuring hands up and down his back. "We'll catch this woman soon. Don't worry." She kissed his shoulder through his shirt. "We'll be fine."

"Yeah," he rumbled contentedly into her hair and Lindsay's body shook silently with laughter as she felt his thumbs caressing her sides through her shirt.

Her smile was wide. "Danny..." He made a tiny noise, still holding her. "Danny, you're going to have to let go. We have to show Mac the note and I want to find out what's wrong with Stella. Plus, you're currently crinkling her lab results against your chest." Lindsay couldn't hold back the gasp as Danny started nibbling at her neck. "Danny, the walls are made of glass."

Parroting Lindsay's words back at her from not too long ago, Danny murmured, "As long as it doesn't involve public nudity, I can do whatever I want with you."

"Not on company time, Messer. Mac'll have our asses." Lindsay pulled away with a loving smile. Danny Messer was irresistible most of the time, but when he was playful with her like he was now, caused Lindsay's heart to swell so much that if it were at all possible, her chest would have burst from happiness. She smoothed the wrinkled piece of paper, shooting Danny a mock-glare. "Come on, cowboy, you can get frisky when we go home."

He chuckled lowly, the sound sending shivers down her spine. "I'm holding you to that, Monroe, 'cause there's a hell of a lot I want to do to you."

Happy that the two of them had managed to avoid butting heads over a potentially deadly issue staved off a dark cloud hovering near Danny's head. It would have left him in a terrible mood if he had to deal with an escalating stalker and fix a fight with Montana, but since it was avoided, it left him in a teasing mood.

"Danny." Lindsay smacked his hand away from where it had wandered too low to be considered appropriate in a work place.

He merely gave a low chuckle as Lindsay, seeing it was useless to reprimand him, sped up slightly out of his reach. Inwardly, he shrugged his shoulders. He still had a great view.

She knocked on the glass door, spying their boss alone at his desk.

"Mac? Can we talk to you?"

After being waved in, without preamble, Danny handed over the note. "It happened again. And this time, she - "

"Or he," Lindsay interjected, leaving an implication that had Danny suppressing cringes.

"Got into the lab somehow. Or the precinct, I'll talk with Flack. He gave me the file. They had to have an opportunity to slip that note in somehow."

Mac eyed the note and looked at Lindsay. "By the looks of it, you should start being careful Lindsay. The incidents are opportunistic; make sure that someone is always with you." He sighed. "This person is dangerous, but not dangerous enough to warrant police protection."

"Easy, Mac. Linds and I already talked 'bout this. She's going to be staying with me until this thing is solved. I won't let anything happen to her." _Nothing bad, at least, _he mentally added giving a cheeky smile at his girlfriend.

"Don't worry Mac. We'll be fine," Lindsay reassured their boss and noticed with a hint of amusement that Mac looked slightly more relieved at her assurance than Danny's.

In the end, Danny and Lindsay offered to get lunch from a nearby deli frequented by those in the lab whilst Mac updated everyone else on the note.

Seeing Stella's slight red eyes but a subtle head-shake from Mac had Lindsay biting back any concerns for the older woman. Handing her the lab results for Stella's case, she left with Danny offering a soft smile and an unspoken offer to talk if needed.

Stella would share in her own time, but the rumbling of Danny's stomach demanded attention now.

The note and its threatening contents merged with the other current cases Team Taylor dealt with that day, bleeding into the background of their minds as the day wore on.

The sun set on a semi-good note with cases solved and perpetrators caught; Mac and Stella shooed the rest of them home and Danny and Lindsay immediately headed to her apartment.

Gathering and packing her things and then heading to his apartment, Danny couldn't help the small smile adorning his face at the thought of Lindsay in his apartment from an extended stay. Sure, she already had some clothes at his place, but the imprint of her never remained permanent, vanishing until her next return. The cause of Lindsay staying with him might be dire, but he couldn't fault the result of his crazy stalker. Coming home after a day of staring into microscopes, computer screens, chasing suspects, and dealing with dead bodies _with Lindsay_, cooking dinner, curling up on the couch and then going to sleep _with her_ made everything feel deliciously domestic. And that thought had ceased to scare him.

To have Lindsay around all the time and within touching distance seemed perfect for a man in a smitten relationship with the woman in his heart.

And he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

What better time than now?

Smiling wickedly once they were inside, Danny backed her against the door, dropping her bags onto the floor and yanking off their coats. Pressing his hard body against hers, Danny enjoyed her sharp intake. "I've got you now, Montana," he murmured against her lips.

Lindsay smiled at his words. She sure as hell wasn't going anywhere.

Pulling out his tucked shirt, wanting to rub her hands over his bare chest, Lindsay welcomed his hot kiss.

Their hands ran over each other's bodies, slowly divesting themselves of their clothes. With the wicked smirk still lingering on his lips, Danny brushed his arousal against her before pulling away slightly, leaving her quivering at the glint in his eyes. He was definitely in a teasing mood.

Oh damn.

He kept his eyes locked on her as his fingers drifted beneath her shirt, pulling it off and massaging his fingers gently over her skin. He pulled her into another kiss, his hands never stopping as they slowly moved up to cup her covered breasts.

Lindsay gasped into his mouth and her body arched against the door. Taking advantage of her dazed state, Danny's fingers deftly unhooked her satin bra and slid the straps off her, causing the flimsy garment to fall to the floor. With his mouth still on hers, tongue mapping out every inch of her mouth, his rough hands brutally cupped her breasts, molding the soft globes of flesh. Lindsay moaned as his fingers tenderly played with her hardened nipples, circling them with his thumbs.

Danny trailed a finger down her flushed body, breaking the kiss to watch her. He loved watching her, each look so expressive. Her eyes were wide, body trembling in anticipation, breath hitching, as he wandered lower.

Lindsay bit her lip when she felt his fingers move down her underwear, caressing her through the lace. Her head gently thudded and rolled against the door behind her and her eyes squeezed shut when his thumb brushed against her panties.

Danny felt so hard as he both felt and watched her. She was soaking wet and the tiny sounds she was making were incredible. He wanted to take her right then, but couldn't resist enjoying the satisfaction of knowing that it was he doing this to her.

She moaned as he moved the material of her underwear to the side and Danny began to run two fingers around her entrance, repeating the process again and again. Danny paid special attention to her hidden rosy pink nub, rubbing it roughly. Lindsay's hands gripped his muscular shoulders as he toyed with her. "Danny…please…" His lips curved.

Sliding his digits slowly down her, gently one finger eased into her as he leaned forward and nuzzled her neck with his lips. He felt her loud cry against her throat. She was so hot and dripping wet; Danny closed his eyes in bliss.

Inserting another finger, he moved them back and forth slowly, smiling, as Lindsay rocked against the two fingers thrusting into her. He felt her buck her hips when a third joined its friends. Danny pushed them in deep and fast, stretching her even wider. He wanted her, needed her to lose control.

His mouth opened slightly as he panted in her ear, Lindsay crying his name. His fingers drove in and out of her before Lindsay came with a loud cry, leaving him to wonder if someone outside in the hall had heard her. The thought, it seemed, made him smile even more evilly.

"Danny…"

He wasn't done yet.

Leaning on him with shaky legs, Danny swung her up in his arms and carried her into their bedroom. Into their bed.

The rest of their clothes were discarded; sighing as their bodies connected.

He grinned at her before leaning down to kiss her. Her arms rose to roam his back, cupping his butt impishly. He groaned. The night was bound to get hotter when they were in teasing moods. He could make her shatter into a million pieces, with her returning the favor. They had barely started and already he was so close to the edge.

Their touches never stopped, so consumed in each other; mouths and lips paying worship to each other's bodies, mind-drugging kisses and hard feverish strokes designed to send waves of white-hot ecstasy to every nerve within.

With their muscles tensing, bodies stiffening, Danny and Lindsay reached their peak, feeling the arduous passion pulse through their bodies, sweeping them away.

Collapsing, winded and spent for the moment, onto the bed beside Lindsay and wrapping his arms around her, Danny felt happy, unburdened, and content.

"I love you, Montana," he murmured against her ear before giving it a quick nip.

She hummed contentedly against him. "I love you too." The two stared into each other's eyes for a moment or two, before she brought a finger up to lightly trace his face.

That simple touch brought a smile to Danny's face and he kissed her again, tongue outlining her lips before pushing into her mouth and tenderly, their hands began roaming. The love and passion starting another slow burn inside.

It was only later that night that the worries from today came back to flood Danny's mind. He looked down at Lindsay sleeping against him, a tiny smile curving her lips and his heart swelled. Brushing back a strand of hair, he trailed a finger down her forehead, following the curve of her cute button nose, and ending up at her lips, rubbing softly against the bottom lip that could produce one mean pout that he was completely helpless against.

How could anyone want to hurt this woman? She was so precious. And if he could, if she'd let him, Danny would spend the rest of his life protecting her. Because he knew, he just knew, that if she was lost to him, he'd be lost too.

He loved her too much to let anything happen to her.

* * *

"Nothing," Greg Williams muttered. "They have nothing. What good is there in having the police involved if they can't find anything?"

Helen wrung her fingers and glanced at their daughter's room where she could see Penelope playing quietly with a Barbie doll. "It's only been a couple of days, honey." Two days to be precise and their daughter had not yet told them anything, leaving her parents to worry and in Greg's case, angrier.

Someone had hurt his little girl.

"Exactly!" Greg's voice rose, despite his wife's motions to quiet down. "We gave them a list of people; shouldn't they be bringing them in or something? Getting one of them to confess? Our little girl had been hurt by some monster, and the best they can give us is 'these things take time'." He started pacing, thinking furiously. "It couldn't have been Joey; he would never hurt Penny. Her teacher is a woman. Mom doesn't let Penny out of sight when she goes to visit." Greg stopped. "It has to be him! That young man from downstairs!" His fists clenched and his face turned red with anger. "That Adam boy. He plays video games all the time; I wouldn't put it past him to be violent."

"Now Greg, I hardly believe that Adam is capable of doing such a thing. Besides, he's baby-sat for us plenty of times and nothing like this has ever happened. He's a nice boy and doesn't deserve these accusations."

"How do you know? There could be dozens of things we don't know about this boy. He could have hurt Penny before and we may not have noticed. Well..." Greg went to the front closet and pulled out an old, worn baseball bat. "He's the only possible choice. And if the police can't get a confession, then I'll get it for them."

"Greg!" Helen looked alarmed at her husband's actions.

"Someone hurt my little girl, Helen. I'm only going to hurt them back."

"No!"

The two stopped their arguing, the bat still in Greg's hands, as they turned to see Penny, who had been listening the whole time, standing in the living room. The girl clutched at her doll and looked scared, but determined.

Greg and Helen looked at each other. Maybe now, they fervently hoped, their daughter was ready to talk.

* * *

AN: 'grin' Was in a bit of a racy mood, coming down from my officially favorite episode 'The Box'. Pardon me while I squee!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot and o/c's.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Danny sighed, kneeling beside the body. He was all too used to frozen wide-eyed stare of death that some victims wore when he saw them. Their lives unexpectedly taken away, and most often, rather violently at that.

Amy Kallum. Twenty-four years old. And fellow cop. He sighed again before standing, frowning as he signaled for the body to be taken away, headed in the direction of Sid. It was always bad to be greeted with a murder to solve; it was especially hard when it came to certain types of people. Children, hapless elderly people, people you knew. She was a familiar face if nothing, one he hadn't ever spoken to true, but all the same. Danny felt a kinship with Officer Amy Kallum; they both fought the good fight. Her time should have been fifty years from now. Not today.

That morning, the sun had risen and everything had started off with a promise of a good day. He glanced over at Lindsay, busily snapping away around the dirty alley lined with trash. Last night had been mind-blowing and he was ever thankful for his partner in everything. The woman he loved. Making love, going to sleep, waking up to playfully bicker over the breakfast he'd cooked - in the last few hours before work beckoned, they had been in their own small, but wonderful world. She gave him everything he wanted and needed; a steady, supportive, eternally bright spot in his life.

Looking down at the blood pool Amy Kallum had left as she died, brutally, savagely murdered by an unknown - Danny needed that bright spot when so many other parts of his life were dark and murky.

"I still can't believe it." Angell's voice held a tone of disbelief. She was shaking her head minutely as he turned to her. "I can't believe Amy's gone, just like that." Danny thought she sounded like the thousands of other shell-shocked companions of murdered victims.

"I'm sorry, Angell. It's hard to believe too. But we'll get this guy; we always do." _Not always_, a traitorous voice retorted in his mind. _Not always._ He pushed it away.

"It had to be a mugging or something. I know Amy; good kid. No one who knew her would hurt her," she stated adamantly. That too, he had heard repeatedly from hundreds of interviews with those close to victims.

He kept his observations to himself about Officer Kallum's murderer. There had been no defensive wounds whatsoever. As an officer, a woman, a human being; it was instinctive to want to fight back when attacked by a stranger. Coupled with the savage wounds inflicted upon the young woman's body suggested this was likely personal. But he nodded along while he picked up what little evidence he and Lindsay had collected.

Key among the gathered was the one object that blatantly stood out. A single flower, already dying in the cold weather, with small flower petals the color of a vibrant scarlet.

It had been carefully tucked, pristine in its delicacy, into the front pocket of Amy's jacket. It didn't take a CSI to figure out that it was important. How and why would follow as soon as they got back to the lab.

Lindsay came up beside him and a still-stunned Angell. "Sweet Pea," she said, her eyes also on the flower in the evidence bag. "It's a pretty flower. Lots of florists use it as a background flower for others in bouquets."

"I'm thinking that whomever gave this to her didn't have any good intentions."

* * *

Clad in dark-washed jeans, Don fished out his wallet and pulled out a five, giving a friendly nod to the young male attendant at the check-out counter of the bodega at the corner of his street. He paid for his carton of milk and pocketed the change, stepping out into the early morning.

The bright sun warmed his face even as the chilly winter air invaded his black overcoat and causing goosebumps on his skin. It had been a while since he had a morning off and going out early into the cold winter had not been on his agenda.

His lanky body moved swiftly down the snow-dusted sidewalk, hurrying to the warmth of his apartment and the bowl of cereal Don had left out on the kitchen counter when he'd realized that he had no milk.

The bottom of his coat flapped with his rapid walking and jostled when Flack's cell phone started to ring. Fishing it out, he glanced down at the display and Flack frowned, puzzled. He didn't recognize the number.

Flipping the phone open, he answered with his usual brisk, "Flack."

Only to be greeted by a tearful, loud, bordering on hysterical, wail. One eyebrow hitched upwards in confusion. Who the hell..? He pulled the phone away from his offended ear and stared at it as the wail continued.

"Hello? Who is this?" he asked cautiously. Flack was certain he didn't know any screaming harpies.

"Don? Don! This is Constance Wiltshire! Please, are you there?!"

"Mrs. Wiltshire?" His voice rose disbelievingly. Screaming harpy had been close enough.

Devon's mother. How in the hell did she get his number? And why was she calling him?

An overly-curious persistent woman who was torn between looking down her affluent nose at him and gushing at her daughter's heroic civil servant of a boyfriend. Flack had only met her once and it was the longest hour and a half in his life.

"Mrs. Wiltshire? What's going on? Has something happened to Devon?" It was the only possible conclusion that the older woman would willingly call him.

"My darling little girl! Oh Don, she's been in an accident! Her car is completely in shambles! We're at the hospital, but these doctors won't let us in to see her! My sweet beautiful Devon, oh what is this going to do to her face? Don. Don, you must come here at once! You're the police, aren't you? Surely you can do something about this? I insist that you tell these doctors that I am her mother, I am from the Wiltshire family. I must be allowed in to see my daughter." She wailed. "Oh, how my poor daughter must be suffering without me there!"

Despite his worry about Devon, Flack rolled his eyes at the woman's hysterics. "Mrs. Wiltshire, if you could please calm down," he stifled an exasperated sigh, "what exactly happened?"

Sniffling, the older woman expounded in horrific tones, "It was an absolute terror! Our doorman saw the whole thing! Devon had just gotten into her car, a present from her father which I disagreed with - Devon can be quite reckless when she's with her friends - when some, some lunatic, came speeding out of nowhere and crashed her car into my little girl's! It was deliberate, of course! The huffy just took off right after, not caring that she'd just plowed my lovely one practically into the brick wall of her building! The outrage! Don, you should do something about that too! It's absolutely despicable!"

Tuning out most of the shrill tones, Flack focused on what was important and he grew confused. A hit-and-run? Devon was the obvious target; there was no doubt about it. Someone had deliberately waited for Devon to leave. But who would want to deliberately hurt her? Devon existed in a world that revolved around frivolity and gaiety.

"Mrs. Wiltshire," Flack raised his voice over the woman's theatrics. "Can you tell me which hospital Devon is at? I'll try to be there as quick as I can."

After getting the address, and suffering through another minute of shrill hysteria, he hung up the phone. Flack mentally plotted the change to his day; he might even have to take the day off. Damn, the chief hated last minute absences and would probably make him take on an extra shift to compensate.

He entered his building, clutching his milk. As he jogged up the stairs to his floor, Flack's mind raced. Who would want to hurt Devon? His mind came up blank when searching for a motive. Perhaps Devon had done something to slight someone? The girl was beautiful and great in bed, but her form of offending someone would be snide remarks and petty retaliation. High-school stuff. Flack doubted Devon had ever done anything in her sheltered life that would cause someone to want to kill her.

So barring any deep dark secrets Devon had, he snorted silently, that left another theory. It was possible that someone had tried to hurt Devon to hurt him.

Wow, having a bunch of CSIs as best friends did things. Flack knew there were probably plenty of people who would want to hurt him. But who? And why now?

He recalled the note that Danny had shown the team only the day before and wondered.

The author of the note had threatened Lindsay, at least that was what they had all assumed. There actually was no name.

He shook his head as jogged down to his door, key already in hand. The note implied a stalker with a delusional mind. He hadn't had anything happen to him personally and he didn't particularly feel as if he was being watched. It was entirely possible that Devon's accident was just that. An accident. But Flack knew that as soon as he entered work, he'd be looking over the files of his girlfriend's seeming accident, just in case.

The door swung open and Flack tossed his jacket onto a chair, depositing the purchased milk onto his wide kitchen counter. Mentally calculating the time and distance from the hospital, he knew that he wouldn't be able to spend a whole lot of time by Devon's side.

Momentarily cringing at the thought of going to visit Devon and then straight to work in jeans and a plain dark green dress shirt sans tie irked at him, or rather his fashion sense.

The corner of his eye caught movement. Something shifted behind him.

He'd left a window open. How careless could he be?

Setting his cell phone down, Flack started to turn around when dimly, somewhere in his mind, it registered that his apartment was toasty warm, no chill in the air whatsoever.

He hadn't left the window open.

That statement was the last to pound through his head as something heavy smacked ferociously against it.

Flack's eyes momentarily rolled up before they closed and he fell, hard, onto the tiled floor, unconscious.

A giggle permeated the room.

* * *

A/N: A short chapter, but it seemed perfect to end it there. Poor Flack.

On a side note, **MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!! HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!!!**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot and o.c's.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

Penny was cradled in her mother's protective arms while her father hovered close by. Detective Branco and Carrick were dark imposing figures even as Branco knelt in front of the small girl with a gentle coaxing look fixed on her otherwise hard face.

"Penny? Your mom and dad told us that you were ready to talk." Branco kept her voice soothing. "I want you to know that there's no pressure on you here. It takes a lot of courage to tell someone about this and we're all very relieved, and proud, of you." She smiled slightly. "Take your time, okay? And tell us what you feel comfortable with."

Fiddling with her doll still clutched tightly in her arms, Penny shied away from Branco and burrowed deeper into her mother's arms. "Nobody hurt me." Her voice was tiny and her eyes downcast.

"It wasn't Adam! Adam's really nice and lets me choose who I want to be when we play games. He's funny too. Lets me put mommy's make-up on him." She mumbled something near incoherent.

Disregarding now knowing why her lipsticks were smudged and eyeshadows chipped, Helen Williams bent closer to her daughter. "What was that honey?"

"Chantal..."

"Chantal? What about her, honey?" Helen elaborated at Branco's confusion. "Chantal is one of Penny's friends. They go to the same school and lives a few doors down from us. They play together sometimes and I even offered to have Chantal walk with us to school, but her father says that she's always a late sleeper. A very quiet girl, but friendly. Penny sometimes goes over to visit."

Branco and Carrick's eyes narrowed. "Mrs. Williams, when was Penny's last visit to Chantal?" A new suspect had just entered the picture, although it burned Branco to admit it.

"A few weeks ago, I think. Why?" Helen exchanged a glance with her husband. "Surely you don't think Chantal or her family has anything to do with this. That little girl looks fine whenever I see her."

Branco straightened and gestured Carrick to follow her a ways. "So Ross may have had nothing to do with this after all," Carrick stated, catching his boss's scowl. He realized that whatever his boss was ticked about really nothing to do with a jumpy lab rat and everything to do with a certain Mac Taylor. He had been there when she tersely clicked in to the SVU office, after only being gone for a little over a day. The day Sinclair had put her in charge of one of New York's illustrious and most famous crime labs. Mac Taylor's lab. Neatly and efficiently run, and an excellent team under him. Carrick had heard of the strait-laced man and had nothing but respect. Still, being on the wrong side of his boss's temper was something he strove to avoid. Branco had high aspirations; Taylor had taken it away with a single appearance.

He eyed the older woman. "We have to check him out. There's a great possibility that his daughter is in danger." Carrick turned to the Williams' and asked for the apartment number of Penny's friend, Chantal. Leaving his boss to face facts, Carrick couched on his feet. "Penny...you mentioned your friend. Was it her father or mother who hurt you? Please, Penny, it's important," he continued firmly. "If they hurt you, then they could also be hurting Chantal. You don't want your friend hurt, do you? By telling us, you can help a lot of people. Your parents, who are only worried, Adam, yourself, and Chantal. She needs your help."

Giving a comforting smile, Carrick watched Penny extract her face from her mother's neck, biting her lip with tears in her eyes. "Chantal didn't go to school for days. Mrs. Tulper said that she was sick. I only wanted to see if she was okay." Penny's bottom lip disappeared wholly as she drew it into her mouth. She sniffed and fiddled with her doll's hair. "She looked hurt and her eye had a big black bruise. I asked her why didn't she let her daddy take care of it, and she said he wouldn't help her." Tears rolled down her face. "Her daddy was sleeping and so we had to play quietly, but...but then..." Penny burst into full-fledged tears and her mother gathered her up, securely in her arms, soothing her with whispered words. "I knocked a book off a shelf in Chantal's room and her daddy came in, looking mad! He...he picked her up and threw her into the wall! The thud was so loud!"

Sighing angrily, Branco signaled the police detective accompanying them out the door. "We'll go and question Mr. Jones right now. As much as you'd like to seek revenge against the man who hurt your daughter, please remain here; it's possible that Mr. Jones could turn violent. But as Penelope's parents, I give you my promise that I'll update you when this whole thing settles, Mr ans Mrs. Williams."

Greg Williams looked angry, but a calming, albeit trembling, hand from his wife stayed him as Branco and Carrick left the apartment into a possibly explosive situation four doors down.

The two drew their guns and padded quietly to stand in front of 22A. Dead silence from inside the apartment. The three looked at one another, confirming their readiness.

"Mr. Jones. NYPD. We need to ask you a couple questions!" the detective hollered.

Nothing.

"Get the super up here now," Branco ordered Carrick, who sprinted down the stairs. He reappeared less than ten minutes later with a over-sized middle-aged man, bent over and gasping for air. "Key now. We may have a little girl in danger in there."

After fumbling with the key and then being shoved out of the way, the three detectives cautiously made their way in.

They stopped in the living room.

Chantal Jones lay unmoving on the carpeted floor.

Carrick immediately went to her. Branco and the other detective slowly moved toward the snoring large figure of a man slumped on the kitchen table, beer bottle clutched loosely in a large beefy hand. Branco prodded him with her gun. "Mr. Jones. Wake up."

"Branco," Carrick called softly. "We're too late." He looked sadly down at the girl. "She's gone. We were too late."

Her jaw clenched. She hated anyone who cowardly hurt children; it was why she joined the SVU. Gesturing to the other detective, she glared furiously at the drunk man, only now blearily blinking open his bloodshot eyes as he was roughly handcuffed. No mercy for those who deliberately bullied the weak; they didn't deserve any. She'd see this man go to hell on earth. Alcohol saturated the air around him and Branco's disgust only heightened. "Mr. Jones, you're under arrest." _You son of a bitch child abuser_. "Carrick, call it in."

"Already on it, boss."

* * *

A/N: Seriously not my best chapter; my mind went blank when it came to police procedures in this situation (who picks up the bodies again?) and I'm exhausted. Christmas shopping, school, and work - three things I do not enjoy in life. Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and original characters.

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Chapter 14

"Adam."

Mac's voice had the always-nervous man jumping as well as quelling the shifty looks the two female techs in the room had been giving him. An additional look sent them scurrying out for safety. Since this entire ordeal began, he had not said anything to stop the whispers. Technically, lab gossiping, whispers behind backs and looks were not against the rules; sadly, it was part of human nature. All the same, Mac did not approve of it in his lab, effecting Adam, a member of his team, and essentially condemning him without proof. It would take Adam even longer than it took Danny to bounce back from having your name, your reputation, out in question.

Thankfully, doing so would be the only thing, perhaps, worrying Adam's plate in the near future. A small smile raised Mac's lips.

"Mac?"

Clapping a hand on the younger man's shoulder, he said, "It's over." Adam immediately slumped in relief. "I was just informed they had caught the man who was responsible for Penny Williams' injury. You're completely in the clear, like I knew you would be. It was the drunken father of one of fellow classmates. I don't have all the details or the full story yet, but I wanted to inform you right away."

Adam looked like he wanted to collapse right there into a sobbing pile of limbs and relieved tears. As it was, he stammered, overcome, trying to get his thanks out. Mac forestalled him with a raised hand and jerked his smiling face to a sight behind Adam. "Why don't you share the good news with your friends?"

Adam turned and saw an obviously concerned Kendall hovering outside the doorway. Mac saw her tentative smile become a genuine one when Adam nodded.

He left them to it.

* * *

She was dancing.

This for Flack was definite proof that she was completely crazy. Flitting around in an old lace wedding dress, slightly yellowed with age, the woman twirled around and around his apartment, humming the Wedding March. Instead of a bouquet, the gun she'd used to knock him out was clutched firmly between her hands. He watched, tied to his kitchen chair, mind rapidly deciding how to handle this. Nut-jobs always were unpredictable.

He idly wondered how the hell this woman had gotten a wedding dress and a gun up to his apartment unseen and how in the hell did no one notice how unstable she was? Better yet, who _was_ this woman? What the fuck was going on?

Shifting, trying to get some slack, he said soothingly, "Look...Miss...whoever you are, I think you've got the wrong guy here. I don't even know you. Why don't you just put the gun down and untie me, huh? I'm sure that whatever guy you're going to marry is thrilled, but shouldn't you be with him instead?" He was wholly unapologetic about dumping this onto another poor sap, better anyone else than him in his mind; he'd get her on charges of assault. The gun she was crazily swinging around as she twirled was a factor too.

His words caused her to giggle and Flack wanted to jerk back at the wide-eyed insanity staring him feverishly in the face. "Oh my darling love! You're such a tease, Flacky-kins. Now you know you have to stay here until the wedding is over! Can't have you running off before I become Mrs. Corinne Flack. Busy, busy, busy...always so busy." This time, Flack did jerk in his chair as she suddenly stopped and started stomping her foot loudly on the floor. "My time! My time! This is my time!"

Oh God, he had to get out of here. This was seriously fucked up.

Clearing his throat, Flack tried to calm himself. Of all the negotiations he'd done in his life, bargaining for his own had never been one of them. How did this woman even know his name? Flacky-kins? "Uh...Corinne, did you say?" He tried to muster up a believable smile. "Say Corinne, how about for old times sake, you, uh, you tell me how we met...'cause you know, it's always such as interesting story and all, okay?" He had to stall. Keep her talking until his shift started and someone would notice he was missing. They would call. Hopefully, they would visit. Keep her talking.

In the next moment, his breath halted as Corinne pressed the muzzle up against her own head. Visions of watching someone killing themselves up close shook even his toughened self. She only scratched her head though, hemming and hawing. "You greeted me so adorably! Swept me off my feet in your PJ's."

PJ's? She would have had to see him in his apartment. As she rambled, interspersed with singing under her breath, Flack scrutinized the woman in front of him. He was certain he'd never seen her before. A tenant he hadn't noticed? His thoughts derailed as his cell phone, placed on his kitchen counter out of reach, started ringing. Hope rose within. It was only inevitable that someone would notice him missing. Corinne ignored the phone however, in favor of rummaging through a garbage bag he hadn't seen before.

"Ta-da!" She pulled out a shiny brand-new, black top hat and plunked it down on his head. "We must get you ready, my dear. Can't have you looking sloppy in front of the guests. See? They're all here!" Corinne waved a hand at the empty apartment. "Hi mom!"

His eyes couldn't go any wider than they already were. Flack could only watch, with top hat on and tied with rope, as Corinne grabbed some lipstick. The stick revealed a bright, almost violent shade of fuchsia and he followed her movements as she came close enough to smear it haphazardly over his lips. Pulling back and clapping her hands in delight, she crowed, "The bride is beautiful!"

Right.

Maybe it was time he started working of these ropes of his.

"Shame on you, my love, for not taking me to see your family. My family loves you. I've told them all about you," Corinne chastised gently, shaking a finger at him. She slowly smoothed down her dress before suddenly thrusting the gun muzzle directly into his face. "They were angry when I told them about that other woman you kept hanging around. Why are you treating me this way?!" she shouted before breaking out into a giggle and leaning back, gun resting once again by her side. "I wasn't worried. I know you love me. You love me! You love me! You love me!" Corinne sing-songed, resuming her twirling.

The sound of Flack's cell phone ringing again interrupted Corinne's singing and she spun around, the dress flaring out, and put a finger to her lips. "Shhh!" she hushed, not at Flack, but at his cell phone. "You must be quiet during the wedding. It's rude!"

Flack stared at her. What wedding? They were alone, unfortunately.

After five rings, the phone stopped and Flack hoped that someone would worry and check up on him. Where were his friends when you needed them? Man, this was so not going to score points with Devon's mother. He shifted in the chair, trying to forcibly loosen the ropes.

Corinne gestured to the air in front of her, giggled, and then fluttered her hand to her cheek. "Oh yes, of course I do! I've dreamt of this since I was a little girl, you know. We've been together since we were children!" Wasn't it only moments ago that she was telling him how they met? Now they were childhood sweethearts? Flack worked harder on freeing himself. Corinne's grip on reality was slipping faster.

"Oh, isn't it beautiful?" She was looking down at her hand at something only she could see in her delusional mind. "It's exactly what I wanted. What's that? You want to what? Oh, but that just isn't done!" Corinne blushed. "Well, alright then. If you insist." She raised up her arms and began to waltz around, miming putting her arms around her imaginary dance partner. Wasn't she just saying 'I do'? "One-two-three, one-two-three..."

Abruptly she came to a stop and looked, almost lucidly, at Flack. "She can't have you, you know."

"Who?" The sober tone in her voice scared him, coupled with the solemnity in her piercing eyes. Crazy, dancing, giggly Corinne was easier to handle and potentially subdue than a serious, composed Corinne. Her mood swings were frightening.

"That blonde bitch. Always clinging to your arm, enticing you with her slutty thighs. But don't worry," she smiled softly at him. "I took care of her."

"Corinne...what did you do?"

Corrine ignored him in favor of caressing the gun. "I know her type. I tried to warn you away from her. You'd be caught in her web before you knew it; I had to protect you. I thought Arty would help. I tried to keep you away from her. Pushing you that day on the curb would have given you an excuse to stay away from work for a while and I would've nursed you back to health, of course. Same thing with the cart. I kept giving you excuses to get days off work. I tried to tell you that I was still waiting when I gave you back your gloves." The wedding dress whispered on the floor as she approached him, talking quietly. "But then....then I realized that it wasn't your fault. _She_ was the problem. It became clear that I had to take care of her. That's why I sent you that note, remember?" She chewed, rather disgustingly, on the ends of her frizzy brown hair. "I hope she won't be leaving her car anytime soon."

Flack's breath caught. Devon. So he _was_ right. All this time. _He_ had been the target. The one with a crazy stalker. Not Danny...his best friend had just unluckily caught everything that had been meant for him. When Flack thought back to all the incidents, he suddenly realized that for every single one of them, he had been _with_ Danny. Or had just been to see him or leave him, discussing the cases they were working on. The package delivered to him at the precinct made sense to him now. Corinne had assumed the gloves she swiped had been his, not Danny's. The note that had been in the file folder, the file folder that had lain for more than an hour _on his desk_. Corinne had been there. He really looked at her. A plain-looking woman with brown frizzy hair was the coffee attendant's description.

Completely nondescript. Utterly forgettable.

"You're the one who crashed into Devon's car this morning," he breathed. This lady was psycho.

"Smash!" Corinne whipped the gun into Flack's face; so close that he could literally see down the small, ominous black hole. "Don't worry, my love. She won't be bothering us anymore."

The sudden pounding startled them both. "Yo Flack! You there man?" Danny. And even as hope rose, it was squashed back down by rising fear; for he wasn't the only to notice Danny's timely (or untimely) arrival. Corinne had gone still, demeanor now silent in the deadened apartment. Head cocked, body slightly bent and twisted, staring intently at the door. She reminded Flack of a bird of prey, sitting perched and concealed, eyes unblinkingly boring at a den waiting for an unsuspecting, soon-to-be-dead prey to step out. The gun rested, seemingly passive, at her side.

"Flack!" Danny pounded again. "I know you ain't at the station, man, and we got cases to solve! Wake your lazy ass up!" Corinne twitched ever so slightly. Flack opened his mouth, ready to shout to save his buddy's life. Lindsay would never forgive him if something happened. The doorknob rattled before the two inside heard a key being inserted. He had forgotten Danny had a spare key. A fact that had in the past annoyed him when Danny would filch some food or prank him, but had him grateful when he came home after an exhausting day only to find he'd forgotten his keys at work. Having Danny act as gofer during his rehab wasn't so bad either.

Three things happened in the next second that showed how dicey this could get.

The door started opening, Corinne raised the gun, and Flack shouted. "Danny no! She's got a gun! Get out!" Three short sentences.

But enough time for Corinne to get a shot off.

Straight in the direction of Danny.

And barely enough time for an unsuspecting Danny to pull his head back through the door way and duck into the hall just as chunks of plaster and drywall exploded into the air mere inches from his shoulder.

"No wedding crashers!" Corinne bellowed psychotically, letting off a shot that went wide of the door and cracking the glass of a hanging picture frame. The smiling faces of Flack's parents, reluctant sister included, went crashing face-down onto the floor. Jagged pieces of glass scattered.

"Shit!" Flack toppled his chair over and tried his best to shimmy across the floor to cover himself with the kitchen counter.

Corinne shrieked delightedly as the gun went off. "Rice! Throw the rice!" Her arm swung around and a bullet went through a kitchen cabinet. She laughed again.

Outside, just barely, Flack could make out Danny's familiar voice talking. He knew he was requesting back-up, but that they wouldn't be able to do anything. Not with him as a hostage. Help had arrived, but the situation was only beginning to get dicey. Flack struggled even more with the ropes.

"NYPD! Put the gun down now!" Danny shouted through the half-open door. To him, this day just kept getting more hellish by the hour.

"No uninvited guests allowed!"

His wrists were being rubbed raw and he didn't care that he was making a racket. Flack gritted his teeth, stifling a yell, and ignored the pain as he tried to yank his hands free. His long fingers grappled for the knot, scrambling, scrapping against the rough, scratchy material. Come on, _come on_! He pulled harder. Yanked and wriggled. Tried to unravel the knot barely within his fingers' reach.

And had to swallow a yell of victory as he managed to finally free one hand partially. The skin on his wrist was red raw, tiny scratches from the coarse fibers of the rope marred his flesh. "Come on, come on," Flack chanted under his breath. One hand was all he needed to get himself out of this. His shirt was a mess from all the jostling he'd done. Damn, he liked this shirt too.

"Ma'am please. Put the gun down before you hurt someone. Yourself included. I'm sure we can settle whatever seems to be wrong peacefully."

Deep inside, Flack felt a bubble of laughter. There was no mistaking the undertone of bewilderment in his friend's voice. The characteristic, universal tone of 'what the fuck?' clear in his tone. This would be a heck of a story to tell and hard to top. Even the one of former Casanova Danny, a city boy through and through, with a suspected phobia of leaving his city, flying to country-town Bozeman, Montana where there was only pizza diner serving the most generic selections and where cows probably roamed the streets, herded by pipe-smoking cowboys (Lindsay had, of course, vehemently objected to the description of her beloved home city). All for a woman.

One hand free, Flack wasted no time shoving off the ropes wrapped around his chest, idly noting that he had to clean his kitchen floor; he spotted a stray Cheerio under the counter. He untied his other hand bound to the back of the chair, never more thankful for his lanky limbs.

Just in time for the police to arrive. He could hear them; being briefed by Danny, taking positions around his apartment door, and calling in more help to herd his frightened neighbors off the floor.

Reaching down, he freed his ankles. The only other problem, besides the entire situation, was that Corinne had a gun and despite her erratic firing, she obviously knew how to use it. Peering around his counter, Corinne was swaying in front of door, dangerously alert and getting crazier. Her hair seemed to have frizzed even more in response to her agitated state.

But the best sight Flack had seen that shitty day was the fact that it was her back he faced. His legs tensed even before he realized it. Flack was fully prepared to fight for his freedom.

Time counted for everything in this situation. Fast reflexes and clear thinking. Traits he utilized every day in trying to help clean up his city; he could do this and pull it off. Still, Flack could hear the blood pounding in his ears and his heart thumping loudly. Crouching low and quietly as possible, he shuffled around his counter. Eyes steadily trained on Corinne and the gun, the rushing in his ears drowned out her voice and the calm, negotiating tone of Danny and the others outside.

Breathing fast, but silent, Flack inched closer, keeping close to the ground. Closer. Closer.

He sprung, one hand wrapping around her body, entrapping an arm and holding her captive. One hand grasping the gun, wrenching it out of her hand in her surprise and sent it skittering across his now disheveled and bullet-ridden apartment.

Corinne gasped excitedly. "Ooh! Honeymoon foreplay!" She struggled violently against him and though her voice was jubilant, Corinne's face was twisted in a grotesque mask of insane madness.

Taken aback by her words, and slightly frightened, Flack's momentary pause allowed her to scratch a nasty gouge on his neck from her nails. "I love you, darling!" she exclaimed even as her hands reached for his throat.

The door swinging open cautiously went unregistered in their fight. Guns trained in their direction while wary eyes tracked their progress.

Flack grasped her wrists as she flailed. He grunted when she landed a sharp kick to his shin. Oh yeah, he'd definitely have bruises tomorrow. "You know, I hate to do this to any woman, even a crazy one, but..."

With a sharp yank, he pulled her beside him and swung his leg out, sweeping her feet out from under her. His grip on her wrists were the only thing that prevented her from smacking the back of her head hard against the floor, but as it was, the woman still landed with a heavy thud, causing her to screech in pain.

Releasing her wrists, Flack was quick to roll her over onto her stomach with her hands firmly behind her back, crossed at the wrists and his hand solidly holding them there. Noticing their presence, Flack gestured for the officers to keep Corinne subdued while he stood up, staggering slightly, panting hard. His body felt battered all over. He left the gun where it was for evidence and took a moment to just stand there. Taking in the realization that it was over...and that the situation hadn't turned out any worse than it did. He could've been joining Devon in the hospital at best or situating a permanent plot in the cemetery at worst.

"Darling, if you wanted to play these kinky games, all you had to do was ask." Corinne fluttered her eyelashes. Flack turned away and shuddered. Safely cuffed, the officers hauled her to her feet.

"Hey man, you okay?" Danny's face crinkled in concern as he entered after the police had given the okay.

Gladly releasing Corinne into custody, Flack took a deep breath and rubbed at his face. He could feel the collar of his shirt rubbing against the bloody scratches of his neck. He never wanted to go through something like that again. He was a disheveled, bloody mess. Danny's comforting pat caused him to send his best friend a shaky smile. "Thanks man, I mean it. If you hadn't come by..."

Screaming from the doorway caught their attention and they saw the three officers struggling to remove Corrine. She flailed, restrained as she was, with her legs while screaming at the top of her lungs. "NO! No, no, no, NO! Why are you doing this? Why are you taking me away from my husband? He's mine! Who are you?! Flack! FLACK! My love..." Corinne settled down to a whimper as they forcibly dragged her away. "I know you love me...Corinne wait for you, yes?" She laughed joyously and started humming, swaying her head to a song only she could hear.

The two men stood silently for a moment, frighteningly contemplating just how dangerously unstable she was.

"Seriously Danny," Flack turned to him, eyes troubled and unsettled. "Thank you."


End file.
